Keep Holding On
by aussiebabe290
Summary: Beca Swanson had the perfect life. A husband, three gorgeous kids, the white picket fence... but life could change in the blink of an eye. And life was never the same afterwards. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

Beca Mitchell had never imaged she'd be 'that girl'. The girl with the perfect life- a husband, kids, a dog, the white picket fence… that wasn't her life.

But she wasn't Beca Mitchell, and hadn't been Beca Mitchell for a very long time.

Beca Swanson, on the other hand, had.

Although she had pushed Jesse away when they were at Barden, realisation had hit her like a tonne of bricks, and she had done something so un-Beca-like (such as dedicating the Bellas final set to him) that she had surprised herself. But the Bellas had won the ICCAs and Beca had won Jesse's heart.

(Chloe had thrown her what the redhead had called a 'realisation party' that night in New York, in amidst their celebrations, making Beca laugh and blush and bury her head in Jesse's shirt).

And, ten years on from that day at Lincoln Centre, Beca's life had completely turned around.

The pair had married when they were twenty two, and Beca had surprised Jesse on his twenty fourth birthday by producing a positive pregnancy test. The result had been Connor Benjamin Swanson. Two years later, Rose Elyse (known as Rosie) came along and almost two years after that, little Isaac Nathaniel (the tiniest little person Beca had ever seen in her entire life) screeched himself into the world.

Yep, Beca Swanson had the perfect life. a husband she adored (even if he insisted on continuing her stupid movication, ten years on- it had gotten to the point, and they both knew it, that she only pretended to whine and complain, secretly loving it), three gorgeous children (who were adored by their parents and spoilt absolutely rotten by their aca-aunts and uncles, who had adopted them as their own nephews and niece), and the white picket fence.

(The dog was something Jesse and Connor were campaigning for, and Beca had yet to relent. She knew what would happen- the dog would be a novelty for five minutes and she'd be the one to take care of it.)

But something so perfect could be altered in the blink of an eye.

Beca never thought it would happen to her, but it did.


	2. Chapter 2

"Let's go get Daddy!" Connor cheered, bouncing around a little.

"Do you have your jacket on?" Beca called, from where she was wrestling Isaac's chubby arms into his own jacket and trying to zip Rosie into hers. "We can't go and get Daddy until you're all wearing jackets!"

Connor squirmed into his jacket, before shoving his feet into his brand new lace up sneakers. "Mummy can you tie 'em up, please? We gotta go get Daddy!"

"We gotta get Daddy!" Rosie said emphatically, nodding.

"Are we all wearing shoes?" Beca scanned the room, looking at her children's feet. "Are we all wearing jackets?"

"You're not!" Connor giggled, and the sound of his brother's laughter made Isaac burst into loud guffaws, something he had only started doing in the last week. Beca, giggling, set Isaac down to tug on her own jacket, before grabbing her keys, oversized handbag (because not only did she have to carry her keys, purse, tissues and maybe a chapstick, she had to lug around books, a selection of Hotwheels cars, nappies and wipes and drinks for everyone. Because she was a mum and had a mum bag) and scooping Isaac onto her hip.

"Let's go!" she announced, pointing to the door.

It was three days before Christmas, the busiest time of the year. The time that Beca had hated with a passion, before she met Jesse. But Jesse had changed her, in more ways than one, and now it was her favourite time. She loved Jesse's over the top decorations and excessive use of carols and the way he bribed their children into behaving with the promise of Santa Claus (because if Beca was completely honest, she held it over their heads all year round) and the embroidered Santa hats that Jesse's mother had gotten them (she had gotten one for their first Christmas together, and their children had gotten one on their first Christmas respectively).

She loved the fact that Jesse loved Christmas.

But she hated the fact that he had missed a whole five days of festive celebrations, by being in New York.

("Who even has to work at Christmas?" she had whined like she was no older than Rosie, as Jesse packed his suitcase.)

But it didn't matter. Because they were picking up Jesse (their daddy, who they had Skyped every single day and told him exactly how much they missed him), and Jesse was going to come home to celebrate the rest of the holiday.

"Can we sing, Mummy?" Rosie questioned, as Beca leaned over the baby to buckle her into the car seat.

"Of course, what are we going to sing?"

Both Connor and Rosie had inherited Beca and Jesse's pipes; they were surprisingly in tune for a five and three year old, respectively.

("What did you expect, Bec, they're our kids!" Jesse had laughed, when Beca brought that to his attention.)

"'Jingle Bells'!" Connor squeaked excitedly, as Beca buckled his seatbelt. Closing the back doors of the car and climbing into the driver's seat, she started the engine and glanced at her three children in the backseat.

"Okay, 'Jingle Bells'", she agreed.

(She had grown to love all the children's songs in the past five years; no matter how often Jesse sang them.)

"Wait- when's Aunt Amy coming?" Connor interrupted.

"Aunt Amy is coming very, very late tonight", Beca said, reversing carefully out of the driveway. "Uncle Benji's going to pick her up and then they're all coming back to our house with Uncle Donald, Aunt Aubrey and Aunt Chloe".

"What about Aunty Lily and Aunt Cynfia Rosie?" Rosie giggled.

"They're coming tomorrow", Beca reminded them.

"I love Aunt Chloe- and she's got red hair, just like Rosie". Connor grinned. "Let's sing!"

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!" Beca belted out with as much enthusiasm as her three and five year olds, her eyes on the road but a grin on her face, Isaac squealing along in the backseat.

It was dark, and she knew that it was going to be way past their bedtime when they got home, buts he didn't care. That was the reason she had denied Chloe's offer of babysitting her beloved godchildren while Beca picked up her husband, that was why she turned down Benji's offer to drive Jesse home as well. Because she and her children were going to pick up her husband- their daddy- and be reunited again, just in time for Christmas.

"Mummy, let's get ice cream!" Connor piped up, as they passed their favourite ice cream parlour (Jesse spoiled them, and despite the fact that he warned them not to tell their mummy, Beca knew. Because she was a mum and that gave her automatic right to know everything).

"On the way home, bud, alright?" she said, turning her head for a second to see her eldest and smile at him. Turning back to the road, she eased her foot a little harder onto the accelerator, and the car continued along the stretch of road, approaching a green light.

"One more song!" Connor yelled. "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands!"

Rosie clapped to join her brother and Beca laughed, as she crossed the green light. "Clap clap!"

There was a flash of bright light and two terrified screams, and then it all went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Jesse glanced around the airport, a grin on his face, expecting to see Beca, Connor, Rosie and Isaac waiting for him (because Connor had told him how he had painted a 'welcome home daddy' sign and Rosie had told him exactly how big his welcome home hug was going to be). But he couldn't see them.

Maybe it was because Beca was short.

(He would never say it- directly- to her face, but Beca hadn't grown a millimetre since they were at Barden. And Rosie had inherited her mother's height, much to Beca's dismay.)

So stepping out a little further, he glanced around for them, and when that didn't work, he jumped up onto an uncomfortable airport chair and scanned the room.

There was still no Beca. Still no kids.

"She's just running late", he said easily, plopping down on the aforementioned uncomfortable airport chair.

(Beca was either really early or really late. If they were five minutes early when she was designated driver, they would do another lap of the block to kill time. If they were four minutes early, it was 'shit shit shit we have to find a park shit shit shit'. There was no happy medium with his wife, and Beca knew it.)

After ten minutes, he began to worry. He called Beca's phone a dozen times, before giving up and starting to pace.

"Where the hell are they?" he muttered.

Five more minutes passed (where he phoned Beca another twenty four times), before he slumped back into an airport seat.

"Where are they?" he worried, biting his bottom lip.

"Jesse", a voice said, and Jesse's head flew up.

Standing in front of him was Donald, looking shaken.

"Donald! Where's Beca? Where are the kids? What happened?"

"Jesse, there was an accident", Donald said, trying to keep his voice still.

"Oh my God". Jesse's face paled, and he leapt up. "Are they okay?"

"We need to go to the hospital".

Donald was virtually silent the whole way to the hospital, despite Jesse talking off his ear, demanding to know how his children and wife were. He jumped out of the car before Donald even stopped it, bolting through the doors and running straight into Chloe.

"Jesse", she said, her cheeks streaked with tears. "Jesse, oh my God!"

She wrapped him in a hug and Jesse hugged her back, frantically looking around. "Chloe, where's Bec? Where are Beca and the kids?"

Chloe's body shook with silent sobs, as she shook her head. "Jesse, there was a car accident…"

"Chloe, where's Beca?" he demanded, and a nurse came out of a room with a clipboard.

"Mr Swanson?"

"Where's my wife and children?" he demanded.

"Your wife's okay", she told him, and Jesse's heart sank. "We've examined her and she's alright".

"And my children?"

The nurse bit her lip, and Chloe sobbed even harder.

Beca stepped into the hallway, her face pale and her eyes red. "Jess", she croaked.

"Beca, oh my God!" letting go of Chloe, Jesse rushed over to his wife, checking her over and wrapping his arms around her. "Beca, where are the kids?"

Beca shook her head silently.

"Your two sons died on impact", the nurse said, and Jesse felt his heart physically break. "I am so, so sorry".

"Connor and Isaac", he whimpered. "My boys…" tears running down his face, he turned back to the nurse. "What about Rosie, what about my daughter? Is Rosie okay?"

The whole story came out then, as Jesse stood there silently. A truck had ploughed through a red light, rendering Beca unconscious and Connor and Isaac lifeless. Rosie's body, in the middle of the backseat, hadn't suffered the blows Connor and Isaac had- but her tiny brain had copped the force of the impact.

Jesse, if possible, felt his heart break even more, as he saw the machines attached to his daughter. She looked so small, as she lay perfectly still on the hospital bed, the beeping from the machines the only indication that she was still alive.

"Oh, baby girl", Jesse whispered, taking her hand in his own. "Oh my Rosie… Rosie, Rosie, Rosie…"

The machines were the only thing keeping little Rosie alive. Jesse wrapped his arms around Beca and she cried into his chest, as Jesse gave the tiniest of nods.

"I love you, Rosie, so so so much", he whispered to her, as Beca clung to him a little tighter. "You're the prettiest angel up there".

He held her hand until the machine went silent, Beca shaking a little harder in his arms. Tears soaking into the top of her head, he held her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for all your reviews, both positive and negative- I know it is a touchy subject to write about, but hopefully I can achieve it with sensitivity. Special thanks to CupcakeCutie90, who sent me a very sweet PM about this and my other two Pitch Perfect stories- it meant a lot!**

* * *

Beca could hardly comprehend it. Two hours earlier her kids were singing in the backseat, asking for ice cream. And now, she was a mother without children.

She knew her walls were going back up. The eighteen layers of concrete reinforced with steel (as Jesse had put it during their first year at Barden), but there was nothing she could do to stop them. Her heart was broken, and Jesse knew it.

Jesse saw Beca's walls go up like a roller door. She had shut him out completely, something he hadn't seen in such a long time.

"Becs", he said gently, reaching out to touch her, and she shrugged him aside. "Beca, talk to me-"

Covering her mouth with her hand, she took off down the hallway, ignoring his shouts. As she disappeared into the ladies bathroom, Jesse sunk down the wall, holding his head in his hands.

"Jesse", Chloe said, her voice catching in her throat yet again at the sight of the man curled in the hallway. Jesse glanced up at the redhead, before placing his head back in his hands.

"Hey Chlo".

She sunk down the wall to join him, wrapping her arms around him in a crushing hug. "I am so, so sorry", she whispered, and he felt her tears soak into her shirt. "Is there anything I can do?"

He shook his head. "I need to find Beca, I need to make sure Beca's okay".

"No, sweetie, I'll go", she told him. "Aubrey's on her way- Donald's gone back to the airport, but Benji's still here".

He nodded, her words barely registering. Kissing the top of his head gently, she stood up and made her way down the hallway in search of the missing brunette.

Chloe found Beca dry heaving over a porcelain hospital toilet, tears streaming down her face. Kneeling down beside the tiny brunette, she gathered her loose hair in her fist and brushed it back, moving Beca so she could hold her.

Beca was rigid, and she made no movement to wipe away her tears. Chloe, cooing gently, just rubbed her back and held her tight, knowing that sometimes there was nothing else you could do.

"Sweetie, come on", Chloe said gently, once her legs were uncomfortably numb and her backside was frozen. "Beca, come on, time to stand up. Beca?"

Beca shook her hand, and Chloe wasn't even sure if the brunette had heard her.

"Come on, Becs, stand up".

When Beca didn't respond, Chloe lifted her into a standing position (something that if she had tried any other time, she would have fought her about), allowing Beca to lean all her weight on her.

"Come on, Becs, we need to go and see Jesse", Chloe said gently.

Cleaning her up the best she could, Chloe supported Beca out into the hallway, where she found their entire aca pella family. Benji and Donald were sitting either side of Jesse, as Aubrey nervously paced the corridor, her eyes red rimmed and cheeks tear streaked. Lily and Stacie were crying silently, Cynthia Rose with her arms around both of them, and Fat Amy sat silently, which was worrying enough.

"Come on, we're going home", Chloe said, the voice of authority.

"Beca", Jesse said, and Beca shook her head.

"No".

Her walls were up, and she knew it. But there was no way she was letting them down, not after that night. Jesse had fought for an entire year to be let in, and she had shown him her vulnerable side. On their wedding day she had promised there were to be no more walls, but clearly she hadn't factored in something like that. It was an automatic response, to shut down- and as hard as she tried, she couldn't break through them.

* * *

Beca broke down crying as soon as Benji opened the front door. Because lining the walls of their entrance were three portraits of the kids, taken only weeks before. Connor, with his two front teeth missing, Rosie with her pigtails and angelic smile, and Isaac's chubby baby cheeks that would disappear before she knew it.

The living room was littered with toys that they had abandoned, and Isaac's beloved that he had slept with every night since he came home from the hospital. Connor's collection of trains that Beca was forever cursing when she stepped on, and the teddy bear that Rosie absolutely loved.

Glancing around the room, Beca fled towards the downstairs bathroom, Chloe following at a slightly slower pace.

"I'm sorry", Jesse said, moving quickly towards the stairs. Amy stared around in wonder, and Benji fell onto the lounge, unsure what to do.

"They're gonna get through this, right?" Stacie said uncertainly. "I mean, they're Beca and Jesse. They have to, right?"

"No, he fought for too long to get her, he's not going to lose her", Aubrey said firmly, tears lacing the edge of her voice. "He's not going to let this break them".

"They're Beca and Jesse", Lily said, her usual whisper thundering around the quiet room. "They have to make it through".

As if Beca could hear them, she silently made her way through the living room towards the stairs, climbing it silently.

"They need to be together", Chloe said in explanation, coming into the living room after Beca. "Their parents are on their way- Donald, would you be able to pick them up from the airport in the morning?"

"We'll take my minivan", Fat Amy offered, blowing her nose noisily.

Chloe just nodded, resting her head on Aubrey's shoulder, the blonde silently wrapping an arm around the redhead.

* * *

Jesse looked up from where he had been absently picking at his fingernails (a nervous habit he had picked up from his wife in their first year at Barden), hearing footsteps on the landing. When Beca appeared in the doorway, he relaxed slightly, holding his arms out.

She fell into his arms and Jesse held her tight, the two silently remembering.


	5. Chapter 5

A scream broke Jesse from his restless sleep and he sat up, fumbling blindly for the lamp switch. Beca was sitting bolt upright in bed, tears streaming down her face, whimpering slightly.

"Beca!"

"Jesse", she said hoarsely, and Jesse wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight, blinking back his own tears. Beca cried into his chest, clinging onto him tightly, and Jesse let out a choked sob.

"It's gonna be okay".

"Don't say that, Jesse!" it took all she had not to smack him in the chest, a sudden burst of anger surprising her. "It's not gonna be okay! We just lost three kids!" she paused, letting the news sink in. it was almost as if she hadn't believed it, up until she actually said it. "It was my fault".

"What?" Jesse's eyes widened. "Beca, why would you even say that?"

"It's my fault. I was driving". She swallowed hard. "Connor and Rosie asked me if we could stop for ice cream and I said no. I kept driving".

"Beca-"

"It was my fault".

Jesse grabbed her by the shoulders, and she saw fire in his eyes. "Beca Swanson", he said firmly, tears lacing the edge of his voice. "This was not. Your. Fault".

"Jesse-"

"Beca-"

Jesse let the tears run down his face. "it wasn't your fault, Bec", he said desperately. "You can't shut down on me, it's not fair. You promised you wouldn't do that anymore. You had a green light, that truck had red. This wasn't your fault. Why can't you believe me?"

Beca sobbed, and Jesse pulled her into his chest, resting his chin on the top of her head and his tears soaking into her dark hair.

"I'm sorry", she sobbed, and he hiccupped.

* * *

"Bree?" Chloe whispered, and Aubrey shifted slightly, running her fingers through the redhead's hair.

"Yeah Chlo?" she said quietly.

"Beca and Jesse are going to make it through this, aren't they?"

Aubrey Posen had never once doubted Beca and Jesse's relationship, despite what they all believed. Nodding in the darkness (Benji having switched off the lamp light an hour and a half before), she spoke. "They will, Chloe. I promise".

Chloe sniffled, but she believed her best friend. Because she had known Aubrey Posen a long time, and never once had the blonde broken a promise, to her or otherwise.


	6. Chapter 6

Two days after Christmas- Jesse's favourite holiday- Beca and Jesse found themselves preparing for what was easily the worst day of their lives to date.

"Jess, I can't do this", Beca said to him, coming into their bedroom wearing holey tights and one of his well-worn Treble jackets. "I mean, I really can't do this".

The day after the accident, their parents flew in. Caroline and Barry Swanson, Will and Sheila Mitchell and Katherine Cooke (formerly Mitchell), all staying with Beca and Jesse (Katherine and Will had put aside their differences for their daughter, despite their history). Everyone else had gone to Chloe's house, returning to the Swanson house daily for support.

"Bec, we can do this", he whispered. "It hurts and it's going to hurt and its probably always going to hurt, but we can do this. You and me, we're Beca and Jesse".

She had always thought that she was braver than him (because he cried every time they watched The Notebook), but at that moment, she knew he was the brave one. He was able to hold her together when she was falling apart. She had learnt within their first year at Barden that no matter how hard life got, Jesse wasn't going to leave her.

"How are you holding up?" Chloe wanted to know, greeting Sheila, Caroline and Katherine pleasantly, before grabbing her best friend. "Bec?"

"Not that great", she admitted, her voice hitching in her throat. "Chloe…"

"I promise, we're not going to leave you", the redhead said firmly. "None of us are going to leave you".

Beca rested against the older girl and Chloe tucked a loose curl behind her ear. She knew that Beca was not that much younger than her, but she was so tiny and at that moment, she looked so young that Chloe felt her heart break.

"Beca, sweetheart, its time to go inside now", Katherine told her and Beca swallowed hard, reaching for Jesse's hand.

It took everything she had not to walk back out of the church. Gulping back the bile she felt rising in her throat, she squeezed Jesse's hand a little tighter. He squeezed hers right back, as he blinked back his own tears furiously.

The service was beautiful, but Beca couldn't help but feel alienated. They spoke about her children, but they didn't know them. they didn't know that Isaac had never told a joke with the correct punch line, they didn't know that Rosie knew the lyrics to more songs than Beca and Jesse put together (her beloved Aunt Aubrey had educated her with the set lists of the old Bellas, having been determined to turn their daughter into a Barden Bella), they didn't know that Isaac clung to a Tigger toy no matter what time of the day it was and they had to pry it out of his hand for his bath. They spoke about her three kids, but they didn't know them.

But Chloe did. when Chloe stepped up to the podium, Beca felt Jesse squeeze her hands a little tighter, preparing herself for the flood of salty water that would pour down her cheeks.

"I never thought we'd be standing here today- I never even imagined it, because no one should have to say goodbye to a child, let alone children". Chloe swallowed hard, and took a deep breath. "Nothing could be crueller or more unfair. But that's exactly why we're here today- to say goodbye to three beautiful little angels that God called home". Tears ran down her face and Aubrey stood up, Benji at her side, as they went up to finish what Chloe couldn't.

"You would all have your own memories of Connor, Rosie and Isaac- whether it be Connor's jokes where he got the punch line wrong, Rosie's spontaneous concerts on the dining room table, or Isaac's sweet giggle", Aubrey said, her voice wavering slightly.

Jesse smiled for the first time since the accident, still hearing his youngest son's sweet giggle. He could hear Rosie's voice belting out 'Don't You Forget About Me' (Beca and Jesse's song, that both Rosie and Connor knew all the words to) as she danced around the house, and Connor fumbling over the jokes his beloved Uncle Benji had told him.

"They were Beca and Jesse's children, but they were so much more", Benji continued. "Connor, Rosie and Isaac were grandchildren, nieces, nephews and godchildren as well. They were a part of all of our lives".

"Whenever we lose someone suddenly, we are left distraught, grief stricken and angry. Why? That's always the question asked. Why was it them? Out of all the children on earth, they are the three that deserved it the least. Why? I'm so sorry, but there just isn't an answer. God knows we have cried so many tears, for the three children we will never get to see grow up".

Aubrey's voice caught in her throat and Chloe sniffled beside her, but the blonde simply held Chloe tight, continuing.

"I know it doesn't seem possible, but in time the edge will be taken off. We will come to realise that Connor, Rosie and Isaac are safe and loved where they are, even if they aren't with us. At it is with all loved ones, we wish we could talk to them once more. To hear their voices once more- if only heaven had a telephone. I will think of Connor, Rosie and Isaac every minute of every day, never to be forgotten. Tears will still come, but as time goes on, the pain will subside. We will always have memories. Memories of these beautiful angels that God called home". Aubrey let her tears fall, as Benji helped both girls back to their seats.

"Aubrey, thank you", Jesse said quietly, as he held Beca in his arms.

"Thank you", Beca choked out, as Caroline silently dabbed at her tears. "Thank you, Benji".


	7. Chapter 7

Two weeks into the new year, Beca's parents and stepmother and Jesse's parents all returned back to their respective homes, and Beca and Jesse were left alone in the house they had shared with their family. As alone as they could be, when the Bellas and the Trebles spent almost every waking moment with them.

It was hard. It was harder than Beca ever thought it would be, as she watched Benji and Donald and Cynthia Rose box up the toys that she had watched her children play with every single day, tucking them up into the attic. She cried as she watched Fat Amy and Aubrey put away the stacks of books that she had read Connor, Rosie and Isaac a thousand times each, a thousand times in a day when they were sick. And she sobbed as she packed away the clothes that her three children had danced around in playfully, while she tried to get something done around the house.

At night time it was the worst. The house sounded too quiet, it felt too empty. The day their parents left, Beca, out of instinct, had sleepily pointed her head into the room Rosie slept in to check on her, before reality set in and Jesse had found her sobbing in the hallway.

He had done his best to bite back tears, as he helped her off the carpet, keeping his arms around her as they moved back towards their room.

"I'm sorry", she had sobbed into his chest and Jesse bit back his tears, trying to stop them from falling. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Jesse".

He had cradled her in his arms, kissing the top of her head and rubbing her back. "It's okay, Bec", he had said soothingly, his voice catching in his throat.

Some days were worse than others. Sometimes it them like a blow to the guts, as a rush of memories and emotions washed over them. Jesse had sat at his desk at work for forty minutes, staring at the photo taken the past Halloween, of Connor in his Buzz Lightyear costume (Toy Story was Connor's true love), Rosie in her little tutu and crown (because she had been indecisive about whether or not to be a ballerina or a princess, so he and Beca had simply combined the two) and four month old Isaac, dressed as a baby chicken ("he's gonna hate us, Jesse", Beca had chuckled, as she tied the elastic of his hat under his chubby baby chin). The fact that he wouldn't get to go trick or treating with his kids that October made his heart hurt, and tears sting at the back of his eyes.

Beca had walked past the colourful cereal boxes in the supermarket and had heard the voices of two small children sitting in a shopping trolley, begging their mother for colourful, sugar coated cereal, and the squeals of delight when she relented and let them choose their favourite kind. Beca had sat her basket down and fled, because she had been in the same position as those children's mother so many times, as Connor and Rosie complained about their 'boring Cheerios'.

Some days were harder than others, and Beca was the first to admit it, but they were getting by as best as they could.


	8. Chapter 8

"You look gorgeous, Bec". Jesse grinned at Beca, as she emerged from their bathroom. "I haven't seen you in that for ages!"

"Yeah, nothing like a change". Beca grinned at him and he wrapped an arm around her, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "Let's go".

Jesse grabbed Aubrey's birthday present off the shelf, before grabbing the keys. "Let's go", he agreed. "Nothing like being late to Aubrey's birthday, hey?"

"Nothing like keeping up Bellas tradition". Beca grinned, intertwining her fingers with Jesse's (Aubrey yelled at Beca every single Bellas practice because the brunette was at least fifteen minutes late).

Climbing into the passenger seat, Beca reached for the radio, turning on their stereo.

"What are you doing, Bec?" Jesse asked in amusement, sliding into the driver's seat.

"_Hey, hey, hey, hey. Ooh, oh__. __Won't you come see about me? I'll be alone, dancing, you know it baby_", she sang gently, and Jesse broke into a grin.

(Beca wouldn't admit it, but she had dedicated their freshman finals set to him.)

"_Tell me your troubles and doubts, giving me everything inside and out_..." Jesse grinned at her and Beca smiled, her hand squeezing his thigh.

Beca Swanson never failed to surprise him.

* * *

"Hey, so glad you could make it!" Aubrey hugged Beca and Jesse as one, making the tiny brunette chuckle.

"Happy birthday Aubrey", Beca said shyly, handing over her present and card.

"Thanks, Bec". The blonde grinned and Jesse pulled out the seat beside Chloe, Beca sliding in.

The night was just what they all needed. It gave them all the chance to take their minds of the events of late, as they laughed and joked with their friends.

"Thanks for inviting us, Aubrey", Beca told the blonde with a grin, hugging her tight and taking Jesse's hand. "We had a really great night".

(The wound was still fresh from the accident that had changed their lives, and they were all worried about them. Chloe called up at least three times a day to check on Beca, and Aubrey, Stacie, Fat Amy and Lily all popped in at random intervals to visit.)

"Thanks for coming", Aubrey beamed, as Jesse kissed her cheek. "Are you guys still on for the barbecue at Fat Amy's next weekend?"

"We'll be there", Beca promised.

"I'm the best barbecuer in Tasmania", Fat Amy piped up (and the girl had some skills behind the hotplate). "Better be there, Shawshank, I'm holding you to that".

"We'll be there". Jesse grinned. "We better be going, anyway".

"Bye!" Chloe waved, her eyes sparkling.

Beca leant into Jesse's side as they made their way out to the car, and he wrapped his arm protectively around her.

"I love you", she whispered into his ear, leaning up on her toes to kiss his cheek. He shivered, goosebumps erupting on his skin. Even after all those years, hearing his Beca- the girl he had worked so hard to get- say those words made butterflies flap in his stomach.

"I love you so much more". He rested his chin on the top of her head, closing his eyes for a moment and allowing the memories of their relationship wash over him.

When she admitted she had watched _The Breakfast Club_ (and cried. "A little birdy told me you cried at the ending, Miss Mitchell". "That little birdy was full of shit". "No, just alcohol"), when she walked down the aisle clad in white ("I'm going to keep my vows short and sweet, just like my beautiful bride-" "You're such a weirdo!"), when they first moved in together (arguing over what got more shelf space, her music or his DVDs). But the memory that stuck out more than anything was the day she first kissed him. The 2012 ICCA finals, where she had marched off the stage and pressed her lips passionately against his.

Beca wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against her chest and feeling his soothing heartbeat in her ear. It didn't matter what kind of mood she was in, Jesse could always calm her down.

They drove home in silence, neither of them talking or singing along to _The Breakfast Cub_ soundtrack. Beca's hand never left Jesse's thigh, and a grin never left Jesse's face.

"Beca, I love you", he said, as he drove into their driveway. She wrapped her arms around him in silence and he unbuckled her seatbelt, pulling her tiny frame across the console, making her squeal. Physically kicking the car door shut, he carried her towards the door, pressing his lips against hers.

By the time they had made their way inside, Beca had undone the first three buttons on Jesse's shirt, and he was hungrily nipping at her ear. He loved that she could still make him feel like he was eighteen again, riding the high of falling in love.

"I love you so much it hurts", she whispered against his mouth, wrapping her legs around his waist.

That night was so much more than just sex. It felt like their first time all over again, as they explored and got to know each other once again.

Jesse knew that as Beca lay her head against his chest later that night, that the two of them were going to be okay. They would never be the same again, but they would be okay.


	9. Chapter 9

Beca didn't know when it hit her. But after a week of feeling sick to her stomach, it hit her like a tonne of bricks.

"Oh holy shit", she gasped, jumping up from her desk chair.

Her period was late.

Beca had always prided herself in the fact that she was never late. And the times that she was, she was pregnant.

"No no no no no". Beca shook her head trying to hold herself together.

She couldn't call Jesse. Because Jesse knew her too well, and would rush home from work immediately.

So she called Chloe.

"Hello?" the redhead said brightly.

"Chlo-" and that was all she got out before bursting into tears.

Chloe was alarmed. "Beca, what's up?"

After a minute of incoherent sobbing, she managed to choke out an answer. "Chloe, I'm late!"

"Late for what?" it didn't fully register with the moment, until the brunette cried again.

"Late late".

Chloe's eyes widened. "Beca, are you-"

"I don't know!" she wailed.

"Beca, I need you to calm down", Chloe said gently. "Beca, are you listening?"

Beca nodded, before realising that Chloe couldn't see her.

"Okay, good. Take a pregnancy test, alight? You might be stressing yourself out for nothing. Periods can be late all the time, there's dozens of reasons", Chloe said calmly. "You might be stressed, or your hormones are out of whack- I mean, there's plenty of reasons!"

(Aubrey would be proud of her- Chloe Beale was rarely the voice of reason, but Chloe believed she had pulled it off.)

"Take a test, alright?"

"Okay", Beca gulped.

"I love you".

"Love you too", Beca choked out.

Hanging up with Chloe, Beca glanced at the clock (knowing that Jesse wouldn't be home for another two hours at least), before picking up her car keys.

Driving straight to the pharmacy, she wandered up and down the aisles of the small store, looking for the home pregnancy tests. She had done it three time before, but never had she done it in those circumstances.

Picking up two (because she was paranoid? In denial? She didn't really know), she moved towards the counter, not making eye contact with anyone.

* * *

Positive.

Almost six years ago, she had been absolutely ecstatically happy. Jesse was getting his first aca-child.

Almost four years ago, she was delighted. Connor was going to get a little brother or sister, and Jesse had been over the moon.

And almost two years ago, she had been thrilled. Jesse was getting his third and last aca-child (because she had told him with gritted teeth in the delivery room that there would be no more).

But right then, she was scared. She was terrified. She felt sick to the stomach (and she didn't think that it was morning sickness) and her heart was pounding so hard and fast it felt like it was going to burst through her ribcage.

She was pregnant. Beca Swanson was pregnant for a fourth time, five months after the accident that changed her life.

She stayed curled on the bathroom floor leaning against the bathtub, the positive test sitting on the vanity, for the good part of an hour and a half, before Jesse's voice floated up the stairs.

"Honey, I'm home!" he called. "Bec?"

"Upstairs", she said, her voice barely a croak.

"Hey, you alright?" he said, concerned. Kneeling down beside her, he felt her head for a fever. "Beca, are you okay? You're very pale and look like you're about to be sick. Are you feeling okay?"

She shook her head, knowing that she couldn't not tell him. "Jess-"

"What' wrong? Bec, you can tell me". And he sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Jess-"

He looked at her with a worried expression clouding over his usually clear eyes.

"I'm pregnant".

For a moment he thought he misheard her. "What?"

"I'm pregnant. We're going to have a baby".

His eyes widened. "You're pregnant?"

She nodded; the expression on his face impossible to read. "Jesse-"

"How do you feel about this?"

"I don't know". She shrugged. "Scared".

"I know". He cradled her gently, kissing the top of her head. "Am I really gonna be a daddy again, Bec?"

"Yep".

"That's amazing!" he picked her up from the floor, pressing his lips against hers. "I know it's scary and it's gonna be hard, but Bec, you're growing us a miracle".

"I love you weirdo". She broke into a smile for the first time all day, smashing her lips against him.

"I love you so much it hurts".


	10. Chapter 10

With her first pregnancies, it had taken about a week for any symptoms besides a late period to kick in. but with that one, it took two days. Every morning without fail she would stumble from their bed straight to their bathroom and spent the next three hours throwing up, retching and then when there was nothing left, dry heaving.

And every morning, Jesse was right there beside her, pulling her hair back into a loose ponytail and rubbing her back and holding her tight when she needed it.

"Morning sickness is a sign of a healthy baby", Jesse reminded her after a full week, as she lay on the lounge, her face pale, a red lollypop in her mouth (Jesse had ran out to buy a supply, as lollypops were the only thing that settled her stomach when she was pregnant with Rosie).

"I know". She closed her eyes tight, wishing for her stomach to stop rolling.

* * *

The next twelve weeks were the longest and simultaneously the shortest of their entire lives. Beca's morning sickness improved (only to the point where she was able to haul herself off the bathroom floor, if she was honest), but she felt symptoms that she hadn't until later in her previous three pregnancies.

"You're starting to show", Jesse commented, as Beca strolled out of the bathroom wearing just her bra and undies. "Aw, look at that bump!"

"I feel heaps bigger than I did with the others", she replied, taking a shirt out of her side of the wardrobe and holding it up against herself. "Is this loose enough, do you think?"

"What does it matter, are we not telling them?"

"We're telling them", she assured him. "I just don't want to rock up and Aubrey be like 'you're knocked up'".

"Aubrey would never say that", he objected. "Fat Amy, on the other hand, would".

Beca nodded, tugging the shirt over her head, before reaching for her jeans.

"How much longer do you think I can get away wearing these?" she groaned, as she jumped to get the jeans up her legs. "Jesus… this isn't fair!" she whined, throwing herself onto the bed with her jeans sitting halfway up her thighs. "Why don't these fit?"

Jesse tactfully bit his bottom lip. "Um…"

"I'm so fat!" she wailed.

After ten minutes of fighting, she threw the jeans across the room (very violently, Jesse observed) and decided on a pair of leggings, grumbling the whole way. Tearing the wrapper off a lollypop with her teeth, she snatched up her bag.

"Let's go".

* * *

"Beca!"

The redhead's embrace nearly knocked the tiny brunette off her feet.

"Oof!"

"Hey there Chloe", Jesse chuckled, seeing his wife lifted off the ground.

Beca gasped, as Chloe's crushing hug began to cut off her oxygen (and make her boobs feel like they were on fire). "Oh my God, Chloe! Boobs! What did we talk about?"

"Sorry". Chloe released her, and Beca gasped for air. Laughing, Jesse wrapped an arm around her, taking her towards the backyard.

"You're here!" Cynthia Rose said brightly, offering them a bag of chips that Fat Amy was yet to see (in Fat Amy's own words, she was all over the chips on any occasion).

"We're here", Jesse grinned at her, before going over to the barbecue to join Benji, Donald, Tom (Chloe's partner of four years) and Austin (Aubrey's husband).

As they wandered through the yard, interacting with each other like they did when they were in college (and all the old stories came out- "hey Shawshank, remember when Chloe and Aubrey came to visit one morning to surprise us for Bellas practice and they caught you doing the walk of shame?" Fat Amy said brightly and Beca had blushed as red as Chloe's hair. "For the record, I was not ashamed".).

But it was when they sat down to eat that Beca's stomach turned, and she fought down bile. "Jesse", she whispered, leaning into him and burying her face in his shoulder. "We've gotta tell them".

Jesse, sensing her discomfort, moved the platter of barbecued meat further down the table (knowing it wouldn't solve the situation but hopefully be able to prolong the morning sickness), kissing the top of her head. "Just wait until Lily's finished, alright? She doesn't talk much anyway".

"What are you whispering about Shawshank?" Fat Amy wanted to know, leaning over Lily to see the couple.

Beca saw her opening, and took it. "So, um, Jesse and I…"

And realised halfway through her sentence that she didn't know how to tell them.

(When she was pregnant with Connor, she had just blurted it out, out of excitement. When she was pregnant with Rosie, she had got Connor a shirt that said 'big brother to be', and he had paraded around, telling the news for them. And when she was pregnant with Isaac, a photo of their feet were taken, captioned with 'our family will expand by two feet in June'.)

She had she passed the bat.

"Jesse?" she said brightly, plastering a huge smile on her face.

Jesse groaned quietly. "Thanks dear", he said sarcastically, turning to find Lily staring at him with her wide eyes. "Beca and I…"

"Spit it out, Swanson". Donald rolled his eyes.

"Beca and I are going to have a baby".

He spat it out.

And he forgot to prepare himself for their reactions.

Fat Amy jumped up from the table, disrupting the dish of macaroni and cheese and sending it skidding (Benji lunged for it and caught it, luckily, because God only knew the kind of fit Fat Amy would have thrown if the macaroni and cheese had hit the ground). "What?" she shrieked.

"What?" Stacie's eyes grew wide.

"What?" Lily's eyes, if possible, grew even wider.

"Congratulations!" Donald offered.

Cynthia Rose summed it up perfectly. "Holy shit!"

"A baby?" Aubrey's jaw dropped open and Beca braced herself, fearing she would projectile vomit over the table.

"Congratulations", Austin said with a grin, putting an arm around Aubrey and kissing the top of her head.

They could tell, just by the way that Jesse wrapped his arms around his wife, that that baby had not entirely been planned. It wasn't that it was unwanted, it just was a surprise. And they could tell, by the way Beca leant into Jesse's side, that she was scared shitless.

"How do you feel about this, Beca?" Stacie wanted to know.

(There was always an element of surprise within the group when Stacie asked such heartfelt questions- she was a lot deeper than any of them gave her credit for.)

"Scared", she admitted. "Really scared. Also sick- get rid of those hotdogs, now. The steak I can deal with, but the hotdogs make me want to blow chunks".

Tom chuckled, before picking them up and whisking them inside the house.

"We're gonna be there for you, you know that, right?" Chloe checked, and Beca nodded, feeling tears well up in her eyes.

"I know", she whispered.

"Group hug!" Fat Amy shrieked.

If someone had told her eighteen year old self that she would be jammed in the middle of a group hug between the Barden Bellas and the Barden Treblemakers, Beca Mitchell would have laughed in their face.

But she was Beca Swanson, and that kind of thing was the norm in her life.


	11. Chapter 11

Sometimes there really were signs that someone was watching, watching over you and protecting you from all that could hurt you.

Beca hadn't believed it, up until that day. Because there truly was someone watching over her.

"Beca Swanson, let's go!" Jesse bellowed up the stairs, his hands on his hips impatiently.

(they had apparently switched roles that morning- usually Beca was the one waiting in the car, leaning on the horn until it grabbed his attention.)

"I don't have anything to wear!" she screamed back, pacing their bedroom in her underwear.

It was their usual morning battle. In her thirteenth week of pregnancy, Beca had found herself constantly bloated and swollen and finding that nothing she owned fit- despite the fact that she had worn her jeans up until the halfway point in her previous three pregnancies.

"Beca, sweetheart", Jesse said, biting his tongue. "We are going to a doctor's appointment, not a fashion show. I don't think they really mind what you wear".

"I don't want to turn up looking homeless!" she snapped. "And my hair-"

(Her hair was just another thing to add to the list of things that were wrong. Not only was it constantly tangled- which irked her at the best of times- it wasn't cooperating in the slightest. No matter what she did to it, it stayed in the same knotty bird's nest at the back of her head. And she hated it.)

"Your hair looks fine", Jesse offered (he thought her hair looked good any time, though, so he probably wasn't the best judge. And then again, neither was Fat Amy, who said it how it was and sent his hormonal, pregnant wife into a nervous breakdown).

"My boobs hurt", she said as an afterthought.

"I know".

Her swollen breasts were the first thing he heard about when he woke up and the last thing he heard about before he fell asleep. She had complained whilst pregnant with Connor, Rosie ad Isaac (hell, she complained when she had her period), but never to the extent where she had come marching out of their bathroom in just a bra and jabbed him in the chest, screaming something along the lines of 'Swanson I swear to God if you touch my boobs again I will throw you through the wall!', like she had done two days earlier. So he knew very well how much pain she was in, and knew very well not to even look at his wife funny (because then she would do something along the lines of accuse him of calling her fat, when she didn't even speak).

"What's wrong with your tights?" Jesse held up a pair of faded black tight that had seen better days (Beca only wore them when they were lounging around the house- generally pairing them with a messy bun and one of his shirts- but Jesse had never seen anything more beautiful). "These will do, won't they?"

"They have holes in them", she snapped.

"Beca, we're just going to the doctor. They don't care what you wear".

"I have nothing to wear!" she hollered, before bursting into tears.

Jesse sighed heavily and wrapped his arms around her heaving shoulders, rubbing her back comfortingly to calm her down. "It's okay", he said soothingly. "As soon as we're done at the doctor's, we'll go shopping, alright? We'll get you a whole new wardrobe if we have to".

"I'm sorry", she whimpered into her chest and he grinned, swaying a little.

"It's okay, shhh". He kissed the top of her head. "Let's just get dressed and get on our way, okay? We get to see the baby today". He put his hand to her stomach and Beca hiccupped, nodding.

(How he was still married to her, she would never know.)

"'Kay", she mumbled, and Jesse reached over to hold up the tights on the bed.

"Alright, what do you want to wear?"

"I'll wear these". She plucked the tights out of his hands and moved towards the wardrobe to retrieve a shirt. Jesse sat down on the bed, smiling at the photo on his bedside table.

"You're gonna be a big brother, Isaac", he whispered to the photograph. "I love you, bud".

"Isaac's gonna be a big brother", Beca whispered to her reflection, wiping the tearstains off her cheeks. Tugging the shirt over her head and sliding the tights up her legs, she pulled her loose hair into a ponytail, trying to make herself look more presentable.

"I love your baby bump", Jesse blurted out, as Beca came out of the bathroom. "Seriously, you are the sexiest pregnant woman in the entire world".

"You have to say that", she muttered.

Despite what Beca thought, she really did glow ("that's sweat, Jesse. I'm sweating"). She glowed and her eyes shone a little brighter than usual. Regardless of her out of what hormones (and Beca was the first to admit it- "I'm a hormonal bitch to you!" she had sobbed two nights earlier), she really was the happiest he had ever seen her.

"Jesse?" she said quietly, once they were strapped into their car and on the way to the doctor.

"Yeah Bec?" he glanced at her and she squeezed his thigh.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you".

"It's alright, Bec". He grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently.

* * *

"Mrs Swanson?" the doctor called and Beca almost bounced off her seat, grabbing Jesse's hand.

"We get to see our baby", Jesse beamed, squeezing her hand a little tighter.

After the routine questions, Beca climbed up onto the table, lifting her shirt up so her belly was exposed. Her bump was still small (albeit larger than any of her previous pregnancies), a little bubble on her abdomen. Jesse put his hands to her stomach for a moment, before the doctor squeezed the cold ultrasound gel to her stomach (making Beca shiver).

"Would you be able to tell what we're having?" Jesse wanted to know.

"It's a little early to tell, I think", she said carefully, running the wand over her stomach. "Huh…"

There are certain things you never want to hear a doctor say while she is waving the ultrasound wand over your pregnant belly.

"Huh", the doctor murmured thoughtfully, looking at the screen.

"What?" Jesse asked suspiciously, and Beca's heart sank. "What's wrong? She's pregnant, isn't she?"

"Oh, she's pregnant".

"Well what the hell's that supposed to mean?" Beca cried, freaking out.

"She's really pregnant". The doctor smiled at them. "Mr and Mrs Swanson, do you have a history of multiples in your family?"

"Twins?" Jesse yelped.

"Twins?" Beca's eyes grew even wider. "No!"

Jesse shook his head.

"No, not twins".

Jesse felt the colour drained from his face. "What?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Mr and Mrs Swanson, meet your babies". She motioned to the screen. "Baby Swanson number one, baby Swanson number two, and baby Swanson number three".

"Triplets?"

"Holy shit", Beca uttered.

"Oh my God".

"Oh my God".

"Holy shit".


	12. Chapter 12

The ride home from the doctor's office was uncharacteristically silent.

"Bec", Jesse said, as he steered into the driveway.

"Triplets". Her voice was hoarse. She didn't know what she was feeling, she didn't know how she was supposed to react- she was scared shitless and didn't know what to do. "We're having freaking triplets".

Jesse nodded, heaving out a breath. "Yep".

"We're gonna have three kids". She put her head in her hands, not even bothering to undo her seatbelt. "We are having three kids. Three. I, essentially, am carrying a LITTER".

(Jesse wanted to grin, he wanted to chuckle, but he knew Beca would not be beyond having him beheaded. He was about ninety seven percent certain that she was blaming him.)

"You want to know what I think?"

"No".

He ignored her and ploughed ahead anyway. "I think it's a sign. I think that they're watching us".

When Beca lifted her head out of her hands, she had tears running down her face. Without bothering to wipe them away, she pressed her lips against his, and he held her tight while she cried.

"I think so too", she finally uttered.

* * *

"Hey Mum", Jesse smiled, as the Skype call connected. "Hey Dad!"

"Hi Jesse, sweetheart! Beca, nice to see you, darling, how are you?"

Sheila and Will appeared on Beca's laptop, waving brightly at the brunette.

"Hey Beca!" Will said cheerfully. "Hi Jesse".

And on the iPad, they saw Katherine Cooke pop into view. "Hi Beca sweetie", she said warmly. "How are you?"

"Hey Mum". She propped the iPad up, so they all came into view.

"How, I bet you're all thinking why have we all gathered you here today?" Jesse said.

(The argument had taken place for a good forty minutes before Benji had appeared in their hallway, arguing who was to break the news to their family and friends that they were having three babies. "It's your fault; you should be the one telling them!" "It's your womb!" "What am I going to tell them?" "What am I going to tell them? It's not like I can come out and say, 'hey, Beca's pregnant with triplets, and oh Aubrey, just to give you an aneurism, we conceived them on your birthday'!" "Don't say that, what in the name of God's green earth is wrong with you?!")

"Spit it out, Shawshank, why did you invite us all here today?" Fat Amy opened the pantry, pulling out a packet of potato chips.

"Yeah, what's up?" Donald wanted to know.

"Is everything okay?" Caroline asked worriedly.

"Yeah, everything's okay", Beca assured them, and Jesse squeezed her hand under the table.

"Everything's really okay, actually". He smiled at the three screens in front of him, as Beca glanced around the room. While their friends knew (and had been swore to utter secrecy), their friends only knew that she was pregnant. They had no idea what had gone down at the doctor's appointment. "Yeah, um… well, Beca's pregnant!"

"What?" Caroline's hand flew to her mouth and Katherine's eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, Beca!"

"Jesse, Beca, congratulations!" Barry cheered. "Congratulations, guys!"

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so happy for you", Sheila offered.

"Congratulations, Bec", Will said with a genuine smile (he hated the fact that his baby girl was no longer a baby, but he was ecstatically happy about being a grandfather again).

"That's not all", Jesse continued.

"Wait, what?" Aubrey's eyes widened.

"Aca scuse me?" Chloe frowned at the tiny brunette, and Beca shrugged.

"What else?" Caroline wanted to know.

"Beca, sweetie, is everything okay?"

Jesse fiddled with his phone for a moment, and Beca smacked his arm.

"Dude!"

"Sorry. I've just emailed a photo to everyone, if you wouldn't mind opening it all?"

"You are so weird". She buried her head in her hands and there was a flurry of taps as their friends eagerly tried to access their emails.

"That's a picture of our first ultrasound", he said proudly. "There you will see Swanson baby number one… Swanson baby number two… and Swanson baby number three".

"Triplets?"

The holler was unanimous, and Fat Amy plucked Beca off her chair, hugging her so tight Beca was genuinely concerned for the welfare of her unborn children.

"Amy!" Aubrey said sharply, seeing the look on Beca's face.

"Amy, release!" Jesse demanded.

"Triplets?" Katherine had tears running down her face. "Beca, honey, you're pregnant with triplets?"

"How?" Sheila wanted to know. "There aren't multiple births in any side of your family".

"I know", Beca said quickly. "They said it was incredibly rare".

(The doctor had told them there were reasons why it had resulted in a multiple pregnancy. She had told them that perhaps Beca released two eggs every month- as some women did- or perhaps it had just been a one off thing. But regardless, the eggs had been fertilised and time would tell as to which egg had split- which was the most likely choice. Jesse, however, in amidst the panic that was their initial reactions, was convinced that it was a sign from their three angels looking down on them.)

"It's a sign", Cynthia Rose said, and Beca nodded, suddenly tearful.

"That's what Jesse said".

Will and Benji couldn't seem to move on from the fact that his daughter was pregnant with triplets. "Triplets? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, are you sure?" Benji echoed. "I mean-"

Jesse started to chuckle. "That's what we said, actually".

"Only we didn't use those exact words", Beca muttered.

Stacie laughed; mentally picturing Beca's reaction (she imagined an overuse of profanities and maybe a swift punch to Jesse's head).

"You can name one of them Amy!" Fat Amy said brightly, and Lily groaned softly (inaudibly, rather).

"No", she whispered.

"Yeah, there's no chance of that happening, sorry Fat Amy". Jesse smiled sweetly at her and she frowned.

"Holy shit, triplets!" Tom said, as if it had just hit him.


	13. Chapter 13

"Happy Fourth of July!" Jesse said brightly, as Lily opened the door to Aubrey and Michael's house.

"Oh my God, look at your belly!"

Stacie's squeal was at a level that only dogs should be able to hear. Beca winced; bracing herself for the impact, as the tall brunette all but threw herself at her belly.

At sixteen weeks, Beca had sufficiently ballooned- or at least she thought. There was no more hiding her pregnancy, her bump gave it away.

"It's huge, isn't it?" Beca frowned, but even she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Her belly was just big enough so it wasn't uncomfortable (while her stomach wasn't uncomfortable, her boobs ached and she had burst into tears when Jesse hugged her earlier that morning, because she was in pain and Jesse didn't even know), and she could comfortably rest her hands on her abdomen.

(Jesse loved her pregnant belly. He was waiting for her tummy to get big enough so she could balance her cereal bowl on it, because there was seriously nothing cuter.)

"You're the cutest pregnant person ever", Fat Amy told her, draping her arms around Beca's bump and stroking it gently. "Hey there babies! Hopefully your mummy's gonna name one of you after me. You want your mummy to name you after your favourite aunt, don't you?"

"Favourite aunt, my ass", Aubrey scoffed.

"Yeah, we all know that's me". Chloe grinned, kissing Beca's cheek. "Hey Becs, how are they treating you?"

Fat Amy pulled Beca's shirt up and Beca smacked her away, yanking it back down.

"That's so cute!" Stacie crooned.

"Aren't you coming swimming?" Aubrey frowned at her.

(Whilst it was getting too warm to cover her baby bumps with jumpers and jackets, she was not about to submerge herself into a pool while she felt like a whale. That would be unnecessary, as she had tearfully pointed out to Jesse that morning.)

"It's like a hundred degrees", Tom protested, coming into the room without his shirt. "Who's not going swimming? And why are we not in the pool right now?"

"Beca", Jesse pointed, and Beca scowled.

"There's no need for that, he knows who Beca is".

"Beca, why not?" he said in surprise. "It's a hundred degrees".

"Yeah, I'm getting back in the pool", Chloe agreed. "Come on; at least come into the backyard with us".

Beca crossed her arms self-consciously, allowing Jesse to guide her into the backyard. While it was a hundred degrees and she wanted to get into the water, there was no way she was allowing her friends to see her in her whale-like state. What most girls called a 'fat day', Beca was living twenty four seven in her hormonal state ("look at me!" she had wailed to Jesse the night before, coming out of their bathroom in her bra and underwear. "I'm like a whale! And it's all downhill from here! I'm gonna get bacne!" and anything that he said only made it worse).

"You aren't gonna get in the pool?" he tried.

"Nope". She shook her head firmly and he shrugged, knowing full well that underneath her shorts and singlet that she was wearing a swimming costume (because he had heard her bellows when she put it on, complaining that nothing fit and how was she supposed to walk around for the next six months like that? And they needed to go shopping and did he realise how much she hated shopping?).

"Well I'm going in". Shrugging, he stepped right into the deep end, making Stacie squeal.

* * *

"Your toes are looking very festive Bec", Fat Amy said brightly, as Beca eased herself onto the side of the pool (having given into the temptation of the cool water in the heat), dangling her feet into the water.

"Thanks". She gave her a small smile. "Jesse and I went shopping and I got a pedicure". She wiggled her toes (knowing that she would only be able to see them for a little bit longer), the red, white and blue nail polish making the water shimmer and making Lily chuckle.

By the time lunch was cooked (a late lunch, because they had been grazing all day), Beca had fully submerged herself into the water, not caring about the bulge on her abdomen (although she wasn't taking off her shirt, because her boobs were way too swollen and it would be just her luck that they popped out of her swimming costume or something).

"When are we doing fireworks?" Lily wanted to know, and Aubrey frowned slightly.

(Because who let Lily near fire? They had learnt that the first Fourth of July the Bellas and the Treblemakers spent together.)

"When its dark?" Donald suggested, wrapping an arm around Lily and eyeing Michael warily. "After dinner".

(Because, in Tom's words, Aubrey would throw a bitch if Lily set the house on fire.)

"I don't think I'm ever going to eat again, after this!" Cynthia Rose declared, as Beca scooped another spoonful of potato salad onto her plate.

(She needed Aubrey's secret potato salad recipe, and she knew she was unlikely to get it if she called her up at three a.m in a fit of pregnancy cravings.)

"You're such a cute pregnant person", Stacie said again, as Beca sat on the step of the pool (feeling overly large and overly stuffed- despite the fact she was eating for four, she was pretty sure that she had eaten too much). "Like, seriously, if I ever have a baby I hope I look that cute".

(Beca frowned, because in which universe did they think it was okay to call her cute? It wasn't okay, period.)

Aubrey was quiet for a moment (unusual for the blonde), before piping up softly. "These babies might have a cousin", she almost whispered, and if they hadn't been listening, they wouldn't have caught it.

"You're trying for a baby?" Chloe squeaked in excitement and Michael nodded.

"You can name them Amy!" Fat Amy enthused and Beca motioned for Aubrey to come closer (she would have gotten up but that would require a lot more effort than she was willing to put in).

"Motherhood is the best thing you will ever do", Beca told her. "Seriously. I never thought I'd say this, but it is literally like having a piece of your heart running around outside your body".

Aubrey smiled gently, hugging the tiny brunette with the earspike. "You are the most amazing mother I've ever seen, if I can do half as good a job as you've done, then I know I'm doing it right".

(Beca never thought that she'd be spending the Fourth of July sitting in a pool, pregnant with triplets, hugging Aubrey Posen.)

* * *

"Fireworks!" Chloe called, her excitement borderline childlike, the moment Michael declared it dark enough to break out the crackers.

Lily's eyes sparkled and Aubrey put an arm around her, guiding her to a safer side of the yard. "That's quiet alright, Lily, I think Tom and Michael have it under control".

"How bad could it be?" Fat Amy questioned.

"Benji almost set himself on fire last year, and that was unintentional", Donald reminded her quietly. "I don't even want to think what Lily could do if we let her".

"She lights fires to feel joy", Cynthia Rose reminded them.

(They weren't even shocked when Donald had told them Lily's confession. Really, they weren't surprised at all.)

They took their seats in the lounge chairs, as Michael and Tom set off the first of the fireworks. A rainbow of colours exploded into the night sky, and Chloe grinned, her blue eyes sparkling and looking even brighter.

"I love the fireworks", she said, her grin growing even wider.

"Hey, you okay?" Jesse put his arm around Beca and she put her head on his shoulder, nodding. "You've gone quiet all of a sudden. What's on your mind?"

"Connor loved the fireworks", she said softly. "I'm just thinking about last July".

Jesse broke into a smile. "They all loved the fireworks- Rosie liked the sparklers best, though".

"Until she dropped and got scared". Beca almost laughed, remembering the panicked scream that had followed.

"Are they okay?" Tom nudged Chloe's side, motioning towards Beca and Jesse.

"Yeah, they're okay. I bet they're just remembering the kids. It would be Isaac's first Fourth of July".

"It would be Isaac's first birthday later this week", Stacie whispered. "I miss them".

"I do too". Chloe put her arm around Stacie, squeezing her shoulders gently. "No one misses them more than Bec and Jesse, though".

Jesse stood up, pulling Beca to her feet. "Come on. Let's do sparklers. Tom, throw me the sparklers!"

And they did. They lit a sparkler for Connor, whose favourite holiday was the Fourth of July.

They lit a sparkler for Rosie, who loved nothing more than dancing around with a sparkler.

And they lit a sparkler for Isaac, who would have experienced fireworks for the first time that night.

"Happy Fourth of July, guys", Jesse said softly, as the last of the fireworks exploded into the air. "I hope you had a great day, too. We miss you".


	14. Chapter 14

"We're finding out the sex of the babies today!" Beca smacked Jesse on the side (for the girl who loved sleep as much as she did, she hadn't been getting nearly enough of it). "Wake up weirdo".

"Morning Bec", Jesse grunted, rolling over and burying his face into the pillow.

"Wake up!" she laughed, poking him in the side repeatedly until he rolled over to face her.

"What's wrong?" he complained, wrapping his arms around her. "Its time for sleep, Bec".

"Nothing's wrong". Her eyes sparkled and she pressed her lips against his, grinning when she felt his response. Jesse kissed her back passionately, his arms snaking under her pyjamas top. She ran her hands down his ribs, before hooking her thumbs under the waistband of his boxers.

"I could get used to waking up to this", he said huskily and Beca grinned against his lips.

* * *

Beca lay on the nurse's table, her shirt pulled up to her breasts, exposing her mound of a stomach (which she knew was only going to get bigger), as the nurse squeezed the ultrasound goo ("don't say goo, Jesse".) onto her stomach.

"Everything's fine", she told them, as she pointed out the three babies.

"There are three of them!" Jesse said his eyes wide in wonder.

(Any other time, Beca would have smacked him, but she was too in awe of the three developing foetuses inside her to care.)

"Would you like to learn the genders of your babies?" the nurse asked with a smile, and Beca nodded wordlessly.

"Please", Jesse added as an afterthought.

After a moment, the nurse smiled. "Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Swanson. You're having two little boys and a baby girl. Three perfectly healthy babies".

"Two boys and a girl?" Beca said, her voice a deathly whisper. Colour had drained from her face and Jesse looked at her worriedly, because she looked like she was about to pass out.

"Two boys and a girl", the nurse repeated.

"This is a sign, Bec. They're looking over us. They're gonna protect these babies". He pressed her lips against his and her eyes filled with tears, as she just nodded.

She was worryingly quiet for the rest of the appointment, and silently took Jesse's hand as they walked towards their car.

"Bec?" he said softly, opening the passenger side door for her.

She looked at him, tears glistening in her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and she put her head on his chest, trying to pull herself together. Jesse rubbed circles on her back, kissing the top of her head.

"Are you okay?" he wanted to know, and she nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay". She nodded again, looking up at him. "Just… overwhelmed, I guess".

"It's a lot to take in, isn't it?"

Jesse knew that, despite everything that had happened, Beca still, to an extent, blamed herself for the accident. And being involved in the accident- the sole survivor in that car- made the guilt even stronger.

"Jesse?"

"Yeah?"

"We aren't replacing the kids". A single tear rolled down her cheek and Jesse felt his heart shatter.

"What?"

She was happy. She was pregnant and was going to have three gorgeous babies before she knew it. But knowing that she was having two boys and a girl worry just a little- was she replacing her babies?

"Beca, no". Jesse shook his head firmly. "Don't even think that, alright? We aren't replacing them. These babies are not replacing them; no one could ever replace them. You know how special they are, no one could ever replace them". Using the pad of his thumb, he wiped her cheek, cradling her gently. "These babies are special, just like Connor, Rosie and Isaac. And they're not replacing them".

Beca nodded shakily, letting go of her husband. "Let's just go home".

* * *

They didn't end up going straight home. After texting Chloe (who was demanding to know the genders of the babies growing inside her friend), they bought flowers and went to the cemetery.

"Hey", Jesse said softly, helping Beca to the ground (because her bump was quite well defined and sitting down was beginning to become an issue). He crossed his legs underneath him, resting a bunch of flowers on each of the tiny graves. "Rosie, you're getting your little sister. Mummy's going to have a girl. And Isaac, you're getting two little brothers. Soon, we're going to have two baby boys and a baby girl".

"I wish you guys could meet them", Beca said quietly, fiddling with a strand of grass. "Rosie, you were so excited when I was pregnant with Isaac. This time, you'd get to feel three lots of kicks".

Beca and Jesse found it oddly therapeutic, sitting in the cemetery and talking. They conversed with their children as if they could reply, and whilst it hurt that they couldn't, there was a sense of peace about it.

They sat on the grass for an hour and a half, talking and remembering and crying a little (Beca, mainly- as hard as she tried to hide it, Jesse knew her too well). But by the time they went home, Beca felt a lot better and Jesse felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

* * *

"So, what are you having?" Chloe didn't wait for pleasantries, as she marched into the Swanson house. "Boys, girls, both?"

"Come on, you didn't find out with the others, tell us!" Fat Amy whined.

Beca and Jesse exchanged guilty looks, and Stacie's eyes darkened.

"You knew!" she shouted.

"What?" Donald's eyes switched from Beca and Jesse. "They knew what?"

Aubrey gasped dramatically. "You knew what you were having all along!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jesse questioned, moving to the seat beside Beca. "What do you mean, you knew?"

"You told us that you never found out what you were having, you totally knew! You knew with Connor, you knew with Rosie, and you knew with Isaac!" Chloe poked Jesse in the chest (not risking the wrath of touching Beca, because the brunette would most likely burst into tears).

"That is not true!" Jesse shrieked.

"Yeah!" Beca punched her fist into the air, her eyes darkening at them. "We didn't know!"

Lily stared at Beca with her wide eyes and Beca frowned, glaring right back.

"We knew with Rosie", Jesse mumbled.

"You liar!"

"And we might have maybe known with Isaac". Beca's voice was barely a whisper, about as audible as Lily's voice.

"You're a liar too!" Fat Amy accused.

"You're seriously going to say that to the pregnant woman?" Aubrey's eyebrows shot up and Jesse almost chuckled.

"But we didn't know with Connor", Beca said. "We didn't. We wanted that to be a surprise".

"But seriously. Tell us what you're having". Chloe crossed her arms across her chest.

"For serious, Beca", Aubrey added.

"We've got to get our parents on Skype and FaceTime before we say anything", Jesse said firmly, moving into the kitchen to grab his laptop. Beca retrieved her laptop from where it was sitting on the couch, and the two set to work setting up Skype at the kitchen table. When both Sheila and Will and Caroline and Barry were visible, Beca FaceTimed her mother from her phone.

"Hey guys!" Jesse said brightly.

"How was the scan, was everything okay?" Katherine worried.

"Everything's fine, Mum", Beca said. "They're healthy- they're going to be small, but they're healthy. They're growing fine".

"Did you find out the sex of the babies?"

"They won't tell us", Fat Amy griped.

"Hi Amy dear, how are you?" Caroline said with a smile.

"Ma, can we please focus?" Jesse requested.

"We found out the genders of the babies", Beca nodded.

"Genders! You've got at least one boy and one girl", Donald said brightly.

"We're having two boys and a baby girl", Beca said quietly, and there was suddenly silence in the room. The look on Beca's face was unreadable, and a full two minutes went by before Katherine said anything.

"Beca", she said carefully, and Beca plastered a smile on her face.

"Mum, I'm okay", she told her. "It's okay".

Chloe squeezed her hand and Jesse laced his fingers between hers. Beca, looking into her husband's eyes, leaned against him and he rubbed the small of her back.

They all saw it. They all knew that, whatever the husband and wife were feeling right then, it was going to be okay.

"Two boys and a girl", Michael whistled.

"Congratulations!" Cynthia Rose grinned and Beca smiled at her.

"Have you decided on any names?" Caroline wanted to know.

"We found out this morning, Mum".

"So? Your father and I had your named picked out when we found out I was pregnant! Jesse for a boy, and if you were a girl, you'd be Jessica".

Jesse groaned. "Mum, stop".

Beca started to giggle. "Jessica!"

"Don't even think about it, our daughter is not going to be called Jessica".

"I still think Amy", Fat Amy announced, and there was a unanimous groan. "Hey! That is not nice!"


	15. Chapter 15

It was Donald that led the procession into the Swanson house that day, armed with rollers and paintbrushes and other tools.

"Let's do this!" Donald said cheerfully.

"Beca, get in the car, we're going shopping", Aubrey told her.

Beca was unsure. "I don't think we should leave them here unsupervised", she said bluntly.

"What, do you think we're incapable of painting a room?" Jesse said incredulously (it was almost like Beca had completely blocked out their conversation about the day's plans).

"Yes", she said bluntly.

(Also, she wanted to help. She helped paint Connor and Rosie and Isaac's bedrooms, why wasn't she being allowed to help?)

He laughed. "Says the girl who, just the other day, almost sliced off her thumb cutting up carrots for dinner".

She frowned slightly, glancing at the little scar on her thumb. "Says the girl who fixed the lock on the front door without your help!" she shot back.

"She rode that high for weeks", Chloe nodded (remembering the excited phone call she had got in the early days of Beca and Jesse's marriage).

Jesse chuckled, wrapping his arms around Beca and resting his hands on her bump. "Go out", he told her. "Have fun. Go and have lunch and shop and whatever you're planning on doing today. We're painting the room, alright?"

She frowned slightly, leaning up to kiss him. "Goodbye".

"I love you! And I love you three too".

She frowned slightly, her hands on her tummy. Aubrey was immediately at her side.

"Is something wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"No, no, one baby just kicked really hard". She smiled, because her babies were very active. All the time.

"It must feel so weird", Fat Amy mused, moving closer to Beca so she could feel her little niece or nephew move.

"A good weird", she agreed, guiding Aubrey's hand to where the baby had kicked. "It doesn't hurt, if that's what you mean".

"Oh wow", Aubrey breathed (she had felt it when Beca was pregnant with Isaac, Connor and Rosie, but it felt different that time).

(Suddenly, everyone's hands were on her belly and all three babies were going insane with the attention.)

Jesse laughed. "Have fun at lunch, Becs".

"Have fun painting the room. Don't do anything stupid in my absence".

"I'm hurt!" he feigned outrage, making her chuckle.

(Someone had told her once that the biggest child she'd have to raise was the one she married. And they were totally right- with his juice pouches and his microwave popcorn and his stupid movie collection, Jesse was the biggest kid in the house.)

* * *

"So, are you and Jesse getting ready for these babies?" Chloe wanted to know, and Beca shrugged.

"In a way, I think so", she said slowly. "I mean, we've ordered two more cots, identical to the ones Isaac slept in, and my father and Sheila bought us two bassinettes, because we kept the one that Isaac outgrew".

"In case you two had another baby?" Stacie asked curiously, and Beca shook her head.

"To pass on to one of you guys if you had kids", she said quietly. "Jesse's parents and my mum are buying three car seats for us".

"And we're all buying a triple stroller for you", Chloe blurted out right before Fat Amy could clap a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, it was meant to be a surprise, but-"

Beca's eyes had filled with tears and she covered her own mouth, trying desperately to shake away the emotions.

"Beca?" Cynthia Rose said tentatively.

"Are you okay?" Aubrey worried, and she gulped loudly.

"Yep", she choked out. "I'm just- I'm just really glad my dad made me go to Barden".

"What?" Lily's eyebrows rose at the smaller girl's comment and Beca elaborated.

"I'm really glad I met you awesome nerds. I wouldn't have been able to get through… everything without you guys".

Chloe hugged her fiercely, squeezing her tight. "We're really glad your dad made you come to Barden, too".

Making a mental note to call her father that night, she hugged Chloe back before breaking and wiping her eyes. "Alright, enough of this soppiness", she told them, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I thought we were here to shop?"

"Now you're talking my language!" Stacie declared, leading the way.

Their plan for the day, according to the lanky brunette, was to find all the little necessities and make a list (because apparently the list Beca and Jesse had drafted wasn't good enough or something). Bedding and blankets for both the cots and bassinettes, bottles (because while Beca had breastfed Connor, Rosie and Isaac, she was very convinced that her tiny body wouldn't be able to nutritionally satisfy three infants), dummies and other bits and pieces that they would need. Occasionally, Chloe and Aubrey would duck away (Fat Amy whispering to Beca that it was probably something for the baby shower they were throwing soon and not to worry about it- Beca wasn't sure what alarmed her more), but they ended up having a really good day.

After depositing their purchases into the car, they made their way to their favourite little café, ordering coffees and hot chocolates and relaxing.

"I hope my house is still standing", Beca said suddenly, tearing a marshmallow in half. Tossing it into her mouth, she shrugged. "It'll be either that or one of them missing a limb or two".

"Probably Benji", Stacie agreed.

"I'm sure they'll be fine", Aubrey told her soothingly. "I mean, they were just painting".

"Then why the hell did Donald have an electric drill?" Fat Amy questioned.

(Beca didn't even want to know.)

Lily whispered something and they all stared, trying to work out what she was saying.

(Beca wasn't sure if it was sexual or illegal- probably both- but it was probably best she didn't know.)

"They'll be fine", Chloe assured her.

* * *

"How'd you go?" Beca called, opening the front door and leading the girls inside. "Jesse?"

"Wait!" Jesse appeared at the bottom of the stairs, a grin on his face. "We finished Bec, it looks great".

"It does", Donald agreed, and Tom and Michael nodded.

"That's good, let's go see it".

"Close your eyes", Jesse instructed, wrapping his arms around Beca.

"Is this really the wisest thing to do?" she questioned, as she carefully stepped towards where Jesse was leading her, arms out to feel for foreign objects. "I'm pregnant with three kids, Jesse, it's IMPORTANT that I can see!"

"It's alright, just trust me, I know what I'm doing", he said soothingly and she frowned.

"You're the one who's always babbling 'don't trust anyone who says trust me'", she mimicked. "Dude, let go of me".

"Just relax!" he laughed. "We're almost there".

She kept the pout on her face until Jesse let go of her, where it all fell away. Her jaw dropped and tears welled up in her eyes.

The room was painted a pale mint green- the same colour that she and Jesse had fought for hours over- with a creamy white trim. Animal prints were to cover the walls (they had the prints, but it was waiting for the paint to dry that was the problem) and Isaac's dresser and change table were sitting in the middle of the room.

It was so far from finished, but it was absolutely perfect.

Turning to face them, Benji wrung his hands nervously.

"Do you like it?" he asked anxiously.

She nodded wordlessly, throwing her arms around Jesse and burying her head in his neck. Jesse laughed, wrapping his arms around her and rubbing her back gently.

"I'll take that as a yes", he chuckled.

"It's perfect", she whispered in his ear. "Thank you so much".


	16. Chapter 16

"I can't see my feet", Beca told Jesse, as she stretched a shirt over her head. "But I know they're there because they hurt".

(It was the same statement she had been making since she first got pregnant with Connor. Jesse hadn't known how to react back then, and he was sure he didn't know what to say at that point in time.)

Jesse hummed sympathetically, (because she could either get really angry and cry or get really sad and cry, depending on what he said). "Not much longer, Bec", he said finally, and she shot daggers at him.

"You've been saying that for the last two months".

She knew she had to keep those babies inside her for as long as possible, and she was. But sometimes it got too much and she wished that she could just hold them in her arms.

(It didn't help that she was probably the most impatient person in the world.)

* * *

"Jesse, I am not wearing a blindfold".

"Too bad baby!" Jesse sang, wrapping the tea towel around her head (because that was the closest thing he had to a blindfold, and that was just what she was going to have to deal with).

"You're insane! You've actually lost it! When you let go of me, I'm going to call-"

"Happy baby shower day!" Fat Amy cheered, and Jesse whipped the tea towel off her head.

"Oh my God", she gasped, blinking frantically to avoid having tears cascade down her face. "Oh my…"

"Happy baby shower day!" Chloe embraced her in a hug, before kneeling down to pat her protruding stomach. "Hey guys! Happy baby shower day! Aunt Chloe can't wait to meet you!"

"But Aunt Amy loves you more", Fat Amy cooed, pushing Chloe out of the way.

"The way they're acting makes people think that you're carrying their babies", Jesse whispered to Beca, and her voice shook as she laughed.

"Oh my God, you guys are too much!" a single tear rolled down her face, and she hugged Chloe tight. "Thank you".

(Pregnancy turned badass Beca Mitchell into a bawling mess. It was all Jesse's fault.)

"Happy baby shower day Bec!" Benji said shyly, and she hugged him tight.

"Thanks Benj".

The room was stacked high with presents (their children were going to be the most spoilt kids ever- Beca had thought that they had gone overboard with her first pregnancies. She had been very, very wrong), with the table stacked high with food. A baby shower banner (the same banner that they had used for the three previous showers they had thrown), balloons and streamers hanging around.

They went all out for every occasion. Beca didn't know why she was surprised.

"Open my present first", Fat Amy said brightly. "Wait no, open the big present first!"

"What the hell is that?" Jesse's eyes widened as he saw a box that was the same size as his wife.

"Holy- good God!"

Chloe clapped her hands together excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Open it!" Donald enthused.

"Open it!"

Sitting down, the two of them got to work tearing into their presents, exclaiming with enthusiasm over each one.

* * *

On the big white frosted cake (with 'congratulations Beca and Jesse' piped in purple gel), Tom and Michael lit three candles. Beca was confused for a moment, but Jesse squeezed her hadn't and she understood. They were lighting candles for the angels they had watching over them, and the angels growing inside her.

Together, they blew out the candles, being met with cheers of support from their friends.

"Let's cut this cake!" Stacie said brightly, and Beca picked up the knife (Jesse hovering just in case she dropped it).

Once cake was dealt around to their friends and they were munching in almost silence, Aubrey piped up.

"I don't want to steal your thunder", Aubrey said, wringing her hands, "But-"

"Oh my God, you're pregnant!" Beca jumped up (moving as fast as she possibly could with her huge mound of a stomach), tossing her arms around Aubrey. "You're knocked up, aren't you?"

"Very eloquent, Beca", Jesse chuckled. "Congratulations!"

"I am pregnant", Aubrey nodded with a grin.

"My God, you've been trying for five minutes", Stacie chuckled. "When Aubrey Posen wants something, she doesn't hold back".

(She hadn't been Aubrey Posen in almost six years, but that didn't stop them.)

* * *

"So", Fat Amy said conversationally, picking a piece of pepperoni off a slice of pizza and tossing it into the air (because their baby shower was an all-day occasion which had turned into 'Beca and Jesse's house for dinner'). "Now that we've got this baby shower thing out of the way, can we go and get a Christmas tree?"

"What?" Lily's eyebrows rose, and Benji started to chuckle.

"Yeah, Christmas is in like three weeks! We usually get it right after Thanksgiving!" Stacie agreed. "Why haven't we got a Christmas tree yet?"

"Why are our lives marked out by holidays?" Michael questioned, and Cynthia Rose shrugged.

"Because your wife used to torture us by performing in festive costumes", Beca reported.

"Like you actually abide by the dress code".

(On Halloween, she had flat out refused. At Christmas, she had reluctantly allowed Chloe to stick reindeer antlers to her head and a red nose to her face, scowling fiercely the whole time- and Jesse had all but passed out laughing when he saw- but at Valentine's Day, she had refused. She was not donning a pink dress and wings a la Fat Amy. Instead, she wore jeans and a red hoodie.)

"Photos or it didn't happen", Tom said quickly.

Jesse started to chuckle at the memories. "Oh my God… who wants to re-enact this moment in Bellas history?"

"No!" Beca bellowed before anyone could speak. "Go and get the Christmas tree, Jesse".

"No, not falling for that one again. The last time I picked a Christmas tree on my own you were all 'you picked the tree of pain; I'm scared I'm going to fall and harpoon myself on the tree'. And we're not re-enacting that moment in Swanson history".

"I remember that!" Donald shuddered. "The needles were so sharp they pierced your skin".

"Let's go and get a Christmas tree", Fat Amy decided. "I'll go start the car".

And laughing, they piled into Fat Amy's van, ready to go and get a Christmas tree.


	17. Chapter 17

Beca couldn't sleep. Her back and her boobs hurt, her three unborn children were playing football with her bladder, causing her to get up and pee every five minutes, and she was downright uncomfortable. It was hot and cold at the same time in their room (she had sweat pouring from every part of her body and yet Jesse was sleeping peacefully under the blankets without a care in the world). And aside from all that, the fact that it had been a year since the accident was running through her mind over and over again.

Chloe had been right, when she said the pain would eventually subside. It still hurt, but it didn't hurt as much as it had when the wound was fresh. Certain days were harder than others- on their birthdays Beca hadn't gotten out of bed, burying herself under the blankets and crying- but it didn't hurt as much. She still thought of Connor, Rosie and Isaac every minute of every day- there wasn't a time where her babies weren't on her mind- but the ache wasn't as bad as it had been.

She smiled at the photograph on her bedside table, picking it up and kissing the frame. It had been taken only a week before the accident, when they dressed up in their Santa outfits to go and see the mall Santa (because Jesse was the kind of guy who would scout all the malls in the district, to decide which one was the most authentic looking). Her boys were wearing red button down shirts and black jeans, while Rosie was wearing a red dress and a green cardigan, white tights and black buckled shoes on her feet. Posing in front of the fireplace, their grins were huge with anticipation, and Beca felt tears gather in the back of her eyes for a moment.

"I love you Connor Benjamin", she whispered, kissing Connor's smiling face. "I love you Rose Elyse". She kissed Rosie's wide bright smile, grinning at her pigtails. "I love you Isaac Nathaniel". She kissed Isaac's cheeky grin, before setting the frame back down on the table, lying down properly in the hope of maybe getting some sleep.

But she didn't. She saw the clock tick the hours away, as the babies moved inside her. She groaned slightly, resting a hand on her huge belly.

"Please, guys, let Mummy have a bit of sleep", she whispered. "That's what she's gonna need to get through today".

(Chloe and Benji and the rest of their family had made it perfectly clear that they were not allowing Beca and Jesse to spend the day alone, and had organised to come over in time for breakfast.)

But then Beca felt a sharp pain instead of a kick, and she sat up as straight as she could with her belly, holding it tight.

"Oh my God".

Thinking it was a false alarm, she relaxed for a second, before feeling it again. "Holy shit", she whispered. Kicking the blankets off, she turned to face Jesse, who had been asleep the whole time.

"Jesse", Beca said in an urgent whisper, smacking her husband's shoulder. "Jesse, wake up".

"What's up?" Jesse murmured, rolling over to face his wife's mound of a belly.

"Jesse, something feels funny", she told him seriously. "I think we should go to the hospital. Now, Jesse".

He sprang from the bed, grabbing the bag he had packed basically the day she found out she was pregnant, and helped Beca down the stairs.

"Jesse, I think we're going to have these babies today", she told him, as she stretched the seatbelt across her. "I've got this feeling…"

They both knew what the day was. A year to the day their lives were flipped upside down and inside out, they had gone through a rollercoaster that they would have rather lived without.

"I think so too", Jesse told her, before pressing his foot on the accelerator. "Hospital, let's go".

Jesse all but flew the car to the hospital (Beca had given up reprimanding Jesse's anxious 'baby on the way' driving skills after she went into labour with Connor- she wasn't sure what scared her more, the fact that she was going to push an infant out of her nether regions or the fact that Jesse ran every red light they had gotten on the way), while Beca concentrated on her breathing, wincing every few minutes.

"These babies are definitely going to be born today", she told him, as a particularly sharp pain hit her in the side.

"You're in active labour?" Jesse wanted to know, as their car screeched to a stop at a red light.

(Jesse was the kind of guy who knew the definition of 'active labour', much to the amusement of Fat Amy, Donald and Benji. Because he was a caring husband and wanted to be involved. Of course, they never spoke about Connor's birth, where the doctor had told them that Connor's head was crowning and Jesse had taken a look to see what that meant and all but crumpled to the floor. He hadn't made that mistake again.)

"Not yet".

"But you're in labour".

"Oh yeah, I'm in labour".

Jesse reached for his phone and Beca shrieked, smacking his hand away. "I'll call Chloe; keep your eyes on the fucking road. Jesus Christ!"

* * *

Beca was one hundred and ten percent positive that Jesse had never driven faster in their entire time together- but she had to give it to him. He never disobeyed the law.

Screeching their car to a stop, he plucked the bags from the backseat before helping Beca out of the passenger seat.

"Bec, you right?" he worried, and she took a deep breath before nodding.

"Mmm hmm", she muttered, not trusting herself to speak.

With his arm firmly around her, he led her into the hospital, seeing the fear on her face.

"My wife. She's thirty three weeks with triplets, and she's pregnant. Swanson. Rebeca Swanson, one C". Jesse put one hand down on the desk, the other wrapped around his wife. "Let's get this happening, pronto!"

"Jesse!" Beca poked him in the chest. "What he said, I'm having these babies and I'm having them now".

"Are you booked for a C-section?"

"Yes".

"Okay". The nurse at the desk rifled through some papers, before handing a form to Jesse. Beca eased herself into a chair, breathing deeply.

"Bec, are you okay?" he was at her side in an instant, one arm wrapping around her and the other gently touching her belly (because he knew that she was capable of hurting him).

"Jess, it hurts".

(She hadn't admitted that it hurt when she was giving birth to Connor, until she was six centimetres dilated. Instead, she had resorted to hissing expletives and hitting him repeatedly, telling him exactly how much she hated him for doing that to her.)

"It's okay", he whispered to her, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "We're going to meet our babies today; we're going to be okay".

"You don't know that, Jess, they're so early". Her voice wavered, and Jesse put a hand on her tummy.

"They're gonna be okay, Bec. I know it".

* * *

"Oh wow", Jesse whispered, and Beca craned to see.

"Are they okay?" her voice quivered, tears threatening to spill down her face.

"They're perfect", Jesse told her with tears in his eyes, and she lay back on the bed, letting out a sigh of relief. "They're absolutely perfect".

Exactly a year to the day that Beca and Jesse lost Connor, Rosie and Isaac, they gained three more angels.


	18. Chapter 18

**For all those not following me on Twitter ( RhyleighGrace), this will have a sequel! I'm about 90% sure it will be called 'Three Times the Giggles' and will be posted once this story is finished. Hopefully you'll like it! Thank you so much for the constant support behind this story, it means so much to me!**

**So without further ado, let me welcome the Swanson triplets into the world!**

* * *

On the morning of December twenty third, exactly a year to the day of the accident that had turned their lives upside down, Beca Swanson gave birth to triplets. Jack Henry Swanson at eight ten a.m, Molly Claire Swanson at eight eleven a.m and Toby James Swanson at eight twelve a.m. At thirty three weeks and three days gestation, the Swanson trio were tiny, but healthy.

"Oh wow", Jesse whispered, as he was led towards the three incubator that held his tiny, perfect children. "Oh wow… hi guys! I'm your daddy. It's so nice to meet you, Mummy and I have been waiting for you".

They were so tiny. The nappies for premature babies came up to their chests, and the tubes and wires attached to them made them look so fragile.

"Hey there Jack Henry", Jesse said softly, grinning into the incubator that his son was in. The eldest of the triplets lay there, his chest rising and falling with every breath, and Jesse reached in to take his hand. "Hey there little buddy. Wow, you look like your big brother. You're my little man, Jack. You're gonna protect Toby and Molly, because you're their big brother. I love you, little guy. Mummy and Daddy will always love you".

Withdrawing his hand, Jesse moved to the next incubator, to see his daughter. "Hey there baby girl", he whispered to Molly Claire. "You're so beautiful, Daddy's gonna have to beat away the boys with a big stick. Toby and Jack are going to have to help me, but Daddy's only doing it for your own good. Remember that when you're a teenager and siding with Mummy. I love you, Molly Claire, so, so much". He pressed a kiss to the tips of his fingers, before pressing his fingers to his sleeping daughter.

"Toby James", Jesse said with a grin, turning to the third Swanson incubator. "My baby boy. You look like your mummy. That's a good thing, your mummy is beautiful. You're so loved already, Toby, by so many people. You're never going to be lonely, little man. I promise you that now. I love you baby boy". He ran his fingers over Toby's warm body, before withdrawing his hand. "I'm gonna be back as soon as I can to visit you guys, I promise. Hopefully I'll bring Mummy with me. I love you, so, so much".

* * *

"Jesse!"

He was physically attacked by Aubrey Posen as he stepped down the hallway, the blonde throwing herself at him. Jesse stumbled backwards from the impact, catching himself and catching her.

"Aubrey!"

"What are their names?" Donald demanded.

"Amy?" Fat Amy said hopefully.

(Fat Amy had hoped that Beca and Jesse would consider her name for all of their children- knowing that Beca was pregnant with triplets gave her more of a chance, she had thought. Chloe had laughed, knowing that Beca wouldn't cave.)

"How are they?"

"How's Beca?"

"Is Beca okay?"

"Are the babies okay? They're so early!"

"What did you name them?"

"How much did they weight?"

"What time were they born?"

"Two boys and a little girl", Jesse said over their voices. "Jack Henry Swanson was born at eight ten a.m weighing three pounds one ounce, Molly Claire Swanson was born at eight eleven a.m weighing three pounds and four ounces and Toby James Swanson was born at eight twelve a.m weighing two pounds eleven ounces".

"Oh my God, that's so tiny!" tears glistened in Chloe's eyes, as she hugged Jesse hard. "How are they?"

"They're tiny, but they're healthy", Jesse nodded. "We were hoping that they'd be able to stay in there until the end of the week, but it just wasn't possible. Beca's tiny as it is. Thirty three weeks and three days gestation. They're in the NICU right now, but the nurses told me that we'll be able to hold them soon. They just want to make sure everything's alright".

"How's Beca?" Fat Amy wanted to know.

"Yeah, there weren't any complications or anything, were there?" Benji checked (because they all knew that Isaac's birth had been long and difficult and an emergency caesarean was almost needed).

"No, no, Beca's fine". Jesse grinned. "She's resting now, they've stitched her up. She's going to be sore, but she's fine".

"When can we see her?" Chloe questioned, squeezing Tom's hand.

Jesse shrugged. "I don't know".

* * *

"Hey weirdo", Jesse said gently, stepping into the room. Beca smiled at him sleepily from the hospital bed and he all but ran towards her, taking her hands in his own. She shifted slightly, making room for him on the bed, and Jesse ran his hands through Beca's hair as she leant towards him. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired and sore", she yawned through her smile. "But happy. How are they? How are our babies?"

"They're absolutely tiny", Jesse told her honestly, "But they're beautiful. Oh my God, Bec, I saw Isaac in Jack's face. And Molly's a little mini Beca".

Beca smiled, resting her head in Jesse's lap. "Jack Henry Swanson".

"Molly Claire Swanson", Jesse continued.

"And Toby James Swanson". Beca smiled and Jesse pressed a kiss to the top of her head, continuing to run his fingers through her soft hair. "Did you get to hold them, Jess?"

"No, they wanted to check them over first, because they're so small. They were born so early, Bec, but we had no choice".

"I tried, Jess". Her voice caught in her throat, and Jesse felt his own breathing hitch.

"No, no, no, Bec. You did everything right. You kept them in your belly for as long as you could, it was the perfect amount of time. They're just small. Our babies are always small. Rosie was barely six pounds".

(Jesse and Beca had both been shocked at how tiny little Rosie was. Born only three days early, she was five pounds and eleven ounces, the tiniest little thing either of them had seen at that point. Isaac was their biggest baby, at six pounds and eight ounces, and Connor was right in the middle, at six pounds four ounces.)

Jesse pulled his phone out to show her the photos he had taken, and Beca felt tears well up in her eyes when she saw Jack. "Oh my God, he really does look so much like Isaac".

"They're watching over us, Bec", Jesse said. "They're gonna protect these babies".

There was a knock at the door and Chloe poked her head in. "hey, Bec", she said with a warm smile. "Are you up for some visitors?"

Beca dabbed at her eyes, nodding. "Come on in, Chlo".

"Come on in, guys", Chloe called, and their entire aca-family poured through the doors, laden with balloons and flowers and stuffed animals.

(Beca didn't know why she didn't expect it.)

"Oh, I'm picking up your parents all from the airport this afternoon", Donald said as an afterthought. "Chloe rang them".

"they changed their flights for today", Cynthia Rose elaborated (Jesse's parents and Beca's parents and stepmother had planned to fly in the day after Christmas, Jesse intending to pick them up from the airport, but Chloe had obviously worked ahead of them).

"Do they know their names?"

"Yeah, I called them too", Jesse said. "Your mother cried, Sheila cried, your father cried, my parents bawled".

(Jesse was an emotional person, and clearly it was in his genes.)

She nodded, resting against her husband.

"What a year", Donald said finally, and Tom nodded in agreement.

* * *

"Amy!" Aubrey squeaked later that afternoon, as Fat Amy produced candles from her handbag. "What the hell?"

"Would you relax?" the Aussie chuckled. "Look, it's alright, Lily's on the other side of the room".

"Hey!" Lily whispered in protest.

(Cynthia Rose and Stacie looked at her, giving her a Look. It may have happened almost a decade ago, but Stacie hadn't forgiven the Asian for almost lighting her hair on fire at a Bellas party.)

Seeing the candles made a lump rise in Beca's throat.

"Six candles", Benji said in confusion.

"One for Connor Benjamin", Beca whispered, catching on. "One for Rosie Elyse and one for Isaac Nathaniel".

"And one for Jack Henry, one for Molly Claire and one for Toby James", Chloe confirmed.

"Oh my God". Tears welled up in Aubrey's eyes, and Michael squeezed her arm gently.

"Thank you, thank you so much". Jesse's eyes shone, and Beca wordlessly nodded, wiping her eyes.

"I'm- I'm sorry", she apologised, and Chloe almost laughed.

"Beca, sweetie, after what you've been through, you're allowed to cry", she assured her.

And they did. As the candles were lit, they cried happy tears and sad tears, for the babies Beca and Jesse had said goodbye to a year ago, and the babies that they had welcomed into the world. They cried for Connor Benjamin, Rose Elyse and Isaac Nathaniel, and they cried for Jack Henry, Molly Claire and Toby James.


	19. Chapter 19

"Oh wow", Beca said softly.

After three days of recovery, the doctors didn't try and hold her back any longer. Hand in hand, she and Jesse made their way down to the neonatal intensive care unit, to meet their babies.

"Hello gorgeous", Beca whispered to their daughter. "Oh Molly Claire, you're so beautiful. You're going to be our little Bella, aren't you?"

"He looks even more like Isaac today", Jesse noted, motioning towards their youngest son. "Toby James… hello, you handsome little man!"

"I'm your mama", Beca said gently to the oldest of her babies, her Jack Henry. "I'm so glad to meet you. You're so- oh my God, Jess, they're so tiny".

"Excuse me", Jesse said to a nurse that he identified as Natalie, the woman who had been caring for the babies. "When do you think our parents will be able to meet them? And their aunts and uncles", he added as an afterthought (picturing the fits that Aubrey and Chloe would be sure to throw if they didn't get to meet them soon. Photos just weren't good enough, according to the Bellas and the Trebles).

"I'd say a week?" she guessed. "By this time next week, they'll definitely be healthy enough to meet their grandparents and aunts and uncles". She smiled at them. "They're tough little cookies, they're doing really well".

"Thank you", Beca said softly.

The next day, Beca and Jesse were able to hold Jack Henry, the biggest and the healthiest of their babies.

(Whilst Molly had the biggest birth weight, Jack had put on more weight within the incubators.)

"He's so tiny", Jesse whispered, as his son rested against his wife's chest. "I thought Rosie was tiny…"

"Rosie was a giant compared to these little guys", Beca agreed.

(Their babies were all small, all under seven pounds.)

"Hey there little man". Jesse beamed at their son. "You are so beautiful. Daddy loves you so, so much. You're our little man. You're gonna look after Molly and Toby, you're their big brother".

"He's perfect", Beca agreed. "When do you think we'd be able to hold the other two?" she questioned.

"You might be able to hold Molly within the next few days", Katherine told them, "But we want to keep an eye on Toby for a little bit longer".

Beca frowned slightly, leaning over to put her hand on Toby's incubator.

"Stay strong, little man", Jesse whispered. "Stay strong".

* * *

After a week, Beca was allowed to go home. And reluctantly, she did.

"I'll be back first thing in the morning", she promised her three infants, stroking Toby's tiny little chest. "Mummy loves you. So much".

But before they went home, they bought flowers and stopped at the cemetery. Hand in hand, the two of them wandered to where three tiny little headstones lay, surprised to see fresh flowers adorning them.

(It was obvious that even though they couldn't make it there, their friends had. Their children's beloved aunts and uncles had lay flowers down to remember the children that they had had to say goodbye to a year ago.)

(Beca complained, but she couldn't ask for better friends.)

"Hey", Jesse said softly, kneeling to the ground. "Hey there guys".

"I'm so sorry I didn't come to visit you sooner", Beca told them, a lump rising in her throat. "But guess what Isaac? You're a big brother now".

They sat out in the cold for almost twenty minutes (until they were frozen solid and Beca was in too much pain to stay there any longer) before bidding their babies farewell. They climbed into the car and made their way home.

Where they were greeted with all their friends and all five of their parents.

"Welcome home!" Chloe said brightly, hugging Beca gently. "How are the babies?"

"They're good". Beca grinned. "We got to hold Jack today".

"Really?" Stacie shrieked in excitement, and Chloe squeezed Beca a little tighter.

Jesse nodded, too excited to form words.

"What about Molly and Toby?" Benji checked.

"Soon", Jesse got out, before he was enveloped with a hug from his mother.

"They're so beautiful, Bec", Katherine said, hugging her daughter softly. "I'm so proud of you".

"Come and see the babies' room!" Fat Amy burst out, unable to keep quiet any longer.

"We finished decorating it for you", Tom said with a smile.

"What?"

"You'll love it, Beca", Sheila promised her.

Jesse took Beca's hand, and Aubrey led the way up the stairs, dramatically flinging open the closed nursery door.

They had left it the way it had been the day that Jesse finished painting it two weeks earlier, Jesse absolutely certain that he'd have time to press the animal prints onto the walls and move the furniture into place. Instead of finding the carpet covered with a large sheet and the furniture in the middle of the room, Donald had pressed the prints to the wall whilst Benji, Michael and Tom had arranged the furniture. Chloe had taken it upon herself to buy wooden letters spelling their names, hanging them above the cots.

But it was Aubrey and Michael who had put the finishing touches in the room. On the wall hung a large canvas of the Santa photo they had had taken the year before, the same photo that sat on Beca's nightstand. Connor, Rosie and Isaac grinned cheesily at them, while smaller photos of their large, extended family sat on top of the chest of drawers.

"Wow", Jesse breathed.

"It's beautiful", Beca said finally, turning around to hug Cynthia Rose and Lily. "It looks so amazing".

"They did a wonderful job", Will nodded, hugging his daughter once she let go of her friends.

"I can't wait to bring them home", Beca confessed, looking around the room once more. It was everything that she had imagined and more. "It's beautiful, thank you so much!"

* * *

Before going to the hospital the next morning, Jesse, his father and his father in law spent time anchoring the three infant seats into the back of Beca's car, for when the day came that they could bring home their babies.

"When did they say you'd be bringing them home?" Will questioned, and Jesse shrugged.

"As soon as possible. They said that you guys could come and meet them within the next few days. Hopefully we'll get to hold Molly today".

"How's Toby going?" Barry questioned seriously. "You said you held Jack, and that you're going to hold Molly, but you never mentioned Toby".

"Toby's okay", Jesse said slowly. "He's just not gaining weight as fast as the other two. He's tiny, and he looks a lot smaller than Jack and Molly. But he's okay. He's a tough little cookie".

"He's like Isaac". Barry smiled, and Jesse nodded.

"He's like Isaac".


	20. Chapter 20

"Hey there beautiful girl!" Beca cradled Molly gently, rubbing her tiny back. "Oh my God, you are so gorgeous. You're so much like your big sister".

Jesse grinned, leaning back with Jack against his chest. "Hold on tight little girl, Aunt Aubrey will be rallying you for Barden before you know it".

"Not for a while", Beca objected, reaching out to touch her son's tiny cheek. "Toby James, hang on tight little man. Daddy and I love you too much to let you go".

Whilst Molly and Jack were thriving, Toby James was still tiny and attached to an oxygen tank. In his little incubator, he looked even smaller than he was.

"If you would like", Katherine said gently, "Your family could come in to meet them today. In small numbers. Not big crowds", she added (knowing that the Swanson couple had a large extended family, biological or not).

"Really?" Beca's eyes shone, and Jesse shifted slightly, resting their tiny son beside their equally tiny daughter on Beca's chest.

"I'll go and call them?" he offered.

(Whilst they had been coming to the hospital every day, Jesse had spent the morning urging them to stay at home, to lead their own lives. He informed them that he would tell them if they were needed at the hospital, as there was no point waiting around. Maybe he should have let them come that day…)

* * *

"Jess!" Caroline called,

"Mum, this is a hospital, you can't yell like that", he scolded.

"I want to meet my grandbabies, Jesse", she informed him. "Where are they?"

"The same place they've been this whole time, Caroline", Barry almost chuckled. "Come on, sweetheart, let's go and meet our grandbabies".

"How are they today?" Katherine questioned, and Jesse nodded.

"They're really good- Molly and Jack are, at least. Toby's still struggling".

"Poor little guy", Will said sadly. "He's a fighter, though. He's like his mother".

Jesse grinned. "He's just like his mother".

"Beca, oh my God!" Caroline almost squealed, seeing Beca cradling two of her three infants. Beca looked up at them with an expression of utter delight, the look only a new mother could possess.

"They're so beautiful!" Sheila cooed.

"Jess", Beca motioned him over, and he gently scooped Molly off her chest, holding her close.

"This is Molly Claire Swanson", he introduced, and they crowded around the little bundle in his arms. "And Beca's holding Jack Henry Swanson".

"And Toby James?" Katherine checked.

"He's… he's not doing as well as the other two, we can't hold him yet", Beca said, her voice catching in her throat. "But he's okay".

(Her Toby was strong; he wasn't going to let something like a little cold take him meet his big brothers and sister. He was going to tough it out in his little incubator.)

Their parents sat with them for over an hour, meeting their new grandchildren and cooing over how beautiful they were. And with Will holding Molly and Caroline holding Jack, Jesse and Beca focused their attention on Toby.

"Hey there little man", Jesse whispered, "Come on, Mummy and Daddy want to hold you like we get to hold your big brother and sister".

"He's so tiny", Beca fretted.

"No, he's gonna be okay. He's just small".

* * *

When their friends were allowed in and their parents went home, Aubrey burst into tears immediately. And while she was no longer the Bellas dictator (as Beca had referred to her on a daily basis during her freshman year); it was still a little unnerving to see Aubrey Posen stand there and bawl.

"Hey, it's okay", Beca said awkwardly, patting Aubrey's shoulder gently. "Come here, come and see Molly. Come and meet your niece".

"I'm sorry", Aubrey said, fanning her face, "Pregnancy hormones".

(Beca knew all too well about that.)

"Wanna hold your nephew?" Jesse asked Benji, and the boy shied away slightly.

"I don't know… he's so small…"

"Its okay, Benji, you're not going to break him", Jesse almost chuckled.

(Although he worried every time that he picked up one of his children that they would break, their tiny bodies were so fragile.)

"This is Jack Henry Swanson", Jesse introduced, gently passing the baby to Chloe (because Benji still looked unsure).

"Hey there handsome", Chloe whispered, "You're so beautiful".

"Can I hold Molly?" Stacie questioned, and Beca nodded. Katherine the nurse gently lifted Molly out of her incubator and handed her to her mother, and Beca carefully deposited her daughter in her Aunt Stacie's arms.

"Hey there punchkin!" the lanky brunette cooed. "Hey there beautiful girl!"

Throughout the afternoon they sat around the intensive care unit, holding their niece and nephew and swapping babies. Beca and Jesse were right there with them, sitting beside their youngest son.

"Fat Amy, want to hold Jack again?" Aubrey questioned, and the Australian nodded excitedly.

"You're so tiny", Beca chuckled suddenly, looking at Aubrey.

"What?"

"Your belly. You're so tiny".

Aubrey grinned, putting an arm around the younger brunette ad chuckling. Beca grinned, before wriggling away to see her son.

"They're so precious, Becs", Benji said, smiling at his friend. Jack was resting against his chest, and Beca grinned, running a finger over her child's soft baby skin.

"They really are", Donald agreed. Lily grinned at him, leaning into his chest.

"Hey there beautiful boy", Aubrey said softly, taking a seat beside Toby's little incubator. "You're so tiny. Oh my God, you're so tiny. Hang in there munchkin, you've got to tough it out for your mummy and daddy. I don't think they could stand gaining another angel. Stay strong, for Mummy and Daddy".

"Don't talk like that, Aubrey", Stacie scolded. "They're looking over them. All three of them. Toby's gonna be fine".

(They all heard Stacie, and they weren't sure where her words had came from.)

"Do you know how long it'll be until you can hold Toby?" Chloe questioned, perching in Tom's lap.

Beca and Jesse exchanged looks, before glancing at Nurse Katherine.

"Not too much longer", the nurse promised.

* * *

"Jesse, Beca!" Katherine said delightedly, as the couple came through the hospital doors later in the week.

"Is everything okay?" Beca said immediately.

"Would you like to hold your youngest son today?"

Jesse glanced at Beca, whose blue eyes had grown wide and watery. Jesse simply nodded, taking her hand and leading her towards the neonatal intensive care unit.

That morning, they got to hold their youngest son. The tiny little boy nuzzled into his mother's chest, and Beca cradled him gently, Jesse lightly kissing the top of his head.

"I bet it won't be long until we get to take them home, Bec", Jesse predicted.


	21. Chapter 21

**Penultimate chapter!**

* * *

Ten days later, when Beca and Jesse were getting ready to leave for the hospital, the phone rang.

"I'll get it", Beca called to her husband, limping (because although it had been three weeks, the incision on her stomach was still sore) towards the phone whilst trying to pull on her shoe. Snatching up the phone, she leant against the wall. "Hello?"

"Hello, may I speak to Beca Swanson? This is Nurse Katherine from the neonatal intensive care unit at-"

"This is Beca, is everything okay? Are my babies okay?"

"What?" Jesse, hearing the change in Beca's voice, came sprinting into the room. "Who's that, Bec?"

She held up a finger to silence him.

"I'm sorry-"

"Sorry? Why are you sorry? What for?"

(She was rambling and she knew it.)

"What? Why are they sorry? Who is it?"

She shot Jesse daggers, trying her best to keep her tears at bay.

"For calling so early?" Katherine said, wincing when she realised how her words might have sounded to a parent who had already lost three children. "Beca, we would like you to bring a few outfits for your kids today… because they're going home".

"What? Are you serious?"

"What?" Jesse said urgently, leaning forward to hear. "Who is it?"

"They're coming home!" Beca shrieked, unable to contain her glee. There was a crash from upstairs, and all five of their parents (who weren't leaving until their grandchildren were safe in their own home), appeared in the doorway.

"Are you serious?" Jesse shrieked.

"Jess, they're coming home!"

Katherine on the other end of the phone was laughing, knowing the joy that Beca would be feeling. As a mother herself, she was very attached to her job, and had become very close to the Swanson triplets. She loved them, and whilst she was sad to see them go home, she was so happy that Beca and Jesse got to have their babies with them. "We'll have them ready for you when you arrive", she promised. "But if you and your husband bring in clothes for them, we can prepare them properly for their departure".

"Absolutely", Beca almost whispered, putting the phone down and wrapping her arms around her husband. Jesse smashed his lips against hers, lifting her up and spinning around (being mindful not to throw her around like a rag doll, he had seen the fresh wound on her stomach).

"They're coming home", Beca confirmed, laughing and crying at the same time to her mother. Katherine enveloped her in a hug, not stopping the tears pouring down her face.

"I'm so happy!" Sheila wept, and Caroline threw her arms around Jesse with joy.

Jesse, laughing, hugged his mother and father and Will and Sheila. "I'm so glad they're coming home!"

So, while Jesse and Beca selected an outfit for Jack Henry, an outfit for Molly Claire and an outfit for Toby James, Caroline set about making a cake, while Katherine and Will phoned all of Beca and Jesse's friends. And, as the two departed (making sure the three car seats were properly anchored into the backseats), their parents waved from the front porch, knowing that their friends were on their way to make their triplets' homecoming a celebration that they would never forget.

* * *

"Hey there baby girl", Beca grinned, as Nurse Katherine placed her daughter in her arms. "You're coming home, little girl! You're coming home with Mummy and Daddy today!"

"You're coming home, little man!" Jesse cooed to Toby, holding his youngest and eldest at the same time. "You're gonna finally see our house!"

They were still tiny, and they knew that they were going to be tiny for a very long time.

Jack Henry Swanson, born weighing three pounds and one ounce was now the heaviest of the triplets (if they could say that, because he was still half the size of a baby born full-term). He had gained fifteen ounces (seemingly overnight, Beca and Jesse thought, because his wrinkly chicken legs were beginning to get fat, which overjoyed them)

Molly Claire Swanson, who had weighed three pounds and four ounces at birth, was still the longest, but not quite the heaviest. In almost the month they had spent in the neonatal intensive care unit, she had put on eleven ounces.

Toby James Swanson, the tiniest at two pounds and eleven ounces, had gained seven ounces and was by far the smallest. But however small the Swanson triplets were, they were healthy enough to go home. They would need regular check-ups and, from what Jesse and Beca had gathered, were more prone to ear infections and colds, but they were healthy.

Jack was dressed by Katherine into a tiny little overall attire, red and blue and white. Molly was put in white tights and a long sleeved pink dress, with flowers adorning the front. And little Toby wore the same as his brother, the colours opposite.

"You'll have to come back and visit", Katherine told them, as she helped Jesse strap his children into their car seats. "I've gotten quite attached!"

"Of course we'll come back and visit!" Beca said in surprise. "After everything you've done for us, it's the least we can do".

"We're gonna come back and visit", Jesse cooed to his daughter, kissing the top of her head lightly. "We're gonna come back and visit, baby girl. We're gonna come back and visit Nurse Katherine".

The woman had tears in her eyes, as she helped the parents load their children into their car for the first time. And tears ran down her face as she waved the family of five goodbye.

Because it was happy endings like the Swansons' that made her job worth it.

* * *

As Jesse carefully steered the car onto their street (driving at least twenty miles under the speed limit, Beca noted- they had precious cargo in their car), Beca saw cars lined up outside their house. She knew the cars, but she didn't see the people who owned them.

As Jesse drove into the driveway and shut off the engine, they climbed out of the front seats to unbuckle their children. Jack was strapped into a seat behind his mother in the passenger seat, and Toby was behind his father in the driver's seat, little Molly Claire resting in between them.

(The moment they had been strapped into the car, it had been made official. They were going to sit in those seats until they were old enough to get their own cars.)

"Welcome home guys", Jesse whispered, as he carried his two sons, still strapped in their car seats, into the house. Beca followed with Molly's seat in her arms (despite the doctor's warnings not to do any heavy lifting), setting her down beside her brothers.

"Welcome home", Beca said softly.

"Welcome home!" Katherine, Sheila and Caroline said softly, coming out of the dining room (where, unbeknownst to Jesse and Beca, they had set up a proper party feast).

And their back door opened and Chloe, Tom, Aubrey, Fat Amy, Cynthia Rose, Donald, Lily, Benji and Stacie piled inside, armed with noisemakers, balloons and a rather large banner, bearing their triplets' names.

"Of course", Jesse just sighed, as their friends- their family- crowded around.

(Apparently, it was tradition. Beca had been informed of that the day they brought home Connor- she couldn't wait for the others to start having kids, just so that she could join in in the celebrations.)

"They're so beautiful!" Stacie cooed, as Jesse lifted out Toby to pass to his father in law. Will cradled him gently, Aubrey and Tom crowding him to get a glimpse at his little face. Beca lifted Molly out of her seat to pass to her mother, Chloe cooing at her little outfit. Caroline was handed Jack, Benji grinning at the little boy.

"I'm so happy they're home", Lily whispered, and Stacie nodded in agreement, Molly cradled in her arms.

"Me too", Beca said, running her finger over Toby's soft cheek from where he rested in his Aunt Chloe's arms.

It had been a long ride, but their adventure was only beginning.


	22. Epilogue

**Thank you so, so much for all your support throughout this story, every single review means so much to me! I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I've enjoyed writing it, and will continue to enjoy the adventures of Beca, Jesse and their triplets in my next adventure, 'Three Times The Giggles' (which the first chapter will be posted today). Thank you once again! Love always,**

**Rhyleigh xo**

* * *

"Happy birthday!" Beca called with a grin, as her three sleepy eyed children made their way into the kitchen. "Five years old, I can't believe it! Do you feel any different?"

Toby yawned, shaking his head. "No, I still feel four".

"I feel five", Molly declared, climbing up onto her chair. "Daddy, can we have chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast?"

"Yeah, that' what I chose!" Jack piped up.

"If Jack wants chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, than that's what we're going to eat", Jesse declared, pulling a stack of pancakes from the oven, where they had been warming while Beca and Jesse waited for their children to get up.

It was tradition, in the Swanson house, for their kids to choose what they wanted to eat on their birthday. But since they were triplets, they got to choose a meal each, in birth order. The year before Jack had requested chocolate chip pancakes (a favourite for all of them), and Molly had asked for McDonalds chicken nuggets and fries for lunch (Beca and Jesse were happy to oblige, considering how little they ate at the fast food restaurant), while Toby had requested cheese on toast with a pickle on the side (all three of the Swanson triplets loved pickles, and the savoury food was one of the many things Beca craved while pregnant) for dinner. Beca and Jesse had gone along with it, because it was their day.

"What are we going to have for lunch, Molly Claire?" Jesse wanted to know, as he set plates in front of them, getting the stack of party hats from the kitchen counter. Beca passed out cutlery and cups of juice, as she waited for her daughter's answer.

"Can we have toasted cheesy sandwiches?" she wanted to know, as she hacked through the pancake, grinning as a chocolate chip oozed onto the plate. "Because that's our favourite. Cheesy toasted sandwiches and lemonade, please".

"That sounds good to me", Beca nodded, turning to Toby. "Alright, Toby James, what will we be having for dinner?"

"Um…" he chewed thoughtfully (Toby was their thinker, he pondered over questions for hours and knew more trivia than Beca and Jesse put together). "Can we have pizza? Pepperoni?"

"Pepperoni pizza sounds great!" Jesse cheered. "And don't forget, everyone's coming over for dinner tonight. We're gonna party!"

"Except Grandma and Grandpa and Nanna and Granddad and Nanny", Molly reminded him. "Coz they're comin' tomorrow".

"They are", Beca confirmed with a nod, leaning over to help Jack cut up his pancakes. "But all your aunties and uncles and cousins are coming over today".

Toby giggled, chewing on a bite of pancake. "Are we gonna go and visit the big kids?"

Beca swallowed her tea, nodding. "We are. So once we're finished eating breakfast we're going to get dressed and go and visit them, before coming home to open presents, alright?"

Visiting 'the big kids' was a tradition Beca and Jesse had started for the triplets' first birthday. After breakfast they would rug up and go to the cemetery where Connor, Rosie and Isaac were buried, essentially spending a part of their birthday with their older siblings. More than once they had expressed that they wished they could meet their big brothers and sister (Beca had broken down the first time Toby said that to her, at two and a half, and Jesse had to explain how they were angels and that even though they couldn't see their big brothers and sister, Connor, Rosie and Isaac could see them), but spending their birthday with them seemed the thing to do, in their eyes. They loved it, going to visit their headstones and having conversations with them, telling their older siblings all about what they had done, what they were doing, and what they were planning on doing.

* * *

Jack, Toby and Molly bounded ahead of their parents when they reached the cemetery, knowing exactly where they were going. Beca and Jesse followed at a much slower pace, their fingers intertwined, their minds simultaneously replaying the events of that day, five and six years ago.

Six years ago, they were broken.

And five years ago, they were parents with children again, on the very day that they mourned the loss of their babies.

"It's our birthday!" Jack said brightly, kneeling beside Isaac's headstone. "We're five today!"

Molly held up five fingers. "Daddy made us chocolate chip pancakes and everyone's comin' for dinner tonight. We're gonna have a party!"

"And presents", Toby added. "And Mummy made a cake!"

Despite the fact that the Swanson triplets had never known their older siblings, Connor, Rosie and Isaac were as much as a part of their life as their parents. Their photographs lined the walls alongside their own, and they knew all the stories, they had heard them from their parents, grandparents and their aunts.

They all possessed the qualities of their older siblings. Molly was a born performer, just like Rosie had been- she knew all the lyrics to her parents' songs, and was never shy to climb up on the coffee table and belt them out (she made her aunt Aubrey proud, the blonde was convinced that they had a little Barden Bella on their hands). Toby, despite his serious side, was a joker. He had never gotten a punch line right yet, but he tried his hardest. And Jack had the cheekiest grin, the spitting image of Isaac.

* * *

Toby was almost finished with his toasted cheese sandwich when the doorbell rang through the house, and he jumped down from his seat, his crust clutched in his left hand (like his mother and big sister Rosie, Toby James was a leftie). "I'll get it!"

"Right behind you", Jesse said, stepping out of the lounge room and following his son. Toby swung open the front door to reveal a pregnant Lily and their uncle Donald, both laden down with presents.

"Hey buddy, happy birthday!" Donald said brightly.

"Uncle Donald! Aunt Lily!" he squealed, throwing his arms around them. "Jack, Molly, they're here! Everyone's coming!"

Jack and Molly bolted from their respective spots (where they had been tearing into their birthday presents from their grandparents, who were arriving the next day), throwing their arms around their aunt and uncle.

"Harry!" Molly bellowed a moment later, spying the four year old who acted like the fourth Swanson on most days. "Aunt Aubrey!"

"Hey there baby girl!" Aubrey laughed, hugging Molly the moment she let go of her son. "Happy birthday! Happy birthday boys!"

"Yeah, happy birthday!" Harry said enthusiastically.

Michael came through the door at a much slower pace, holding three gift bags and their younger son Jake in his arms, grinning. "Hey there guys!" he called brightly. "So, someone told me that there was a birthday to celebrate?"

Before they could even register that their uncle was holding gifts, Tom and a pregnant Chloe appeared behind him, their daughter Maddie holding her mother's hand.

"Everyone's here!" Jack giggled, as he thanked Aubrey profusely for his present. "Thank you Aunt Aubrey!"

"You're welcome bud!"

"When's Uncle Benji coming Daddy?" Molly questioned, taking Maddie's hand and allowing the little girl to help her rip into her present.

"Hey there guys!" Benji called.

"Uncle Benji!" Harry laughed.

"It's freezing out there!" Stacie laughed, coming in the door hand in hand with her husband (Beca never thought that Stacie would be the type to get married) Ryan. "Hey, I heard there's a birthday to celebrate!"

"Aunt Stacie!"

Three sets of little feet came flying towards the brunette and Stacie knelt down, catching all three of them in her arms and peppering them with kisses.

"We're only waiting for Cynthia Rose and Fat Amy", Beca mused, glancing around the room.

"They're carpooling", Benji called across the room. "I just spoke to Cynthia Rose".

"Hey, no Katie today?" Jesse said suddenly, and Benji shook his head.

"She's really sorry and she sends love and birthday hugs to the kids, but she can't make it today. We'll both be here for Christmas, though".

"Mummy, we can open our presents, right?" Jack checked, holding up a shred of wrapping paper, and Beca chuckled.

"Of course bud".

The next half an hour was full of excited shrieks and whoops of delight, as Jack Henry, Molly Claire and Toby James tore into their presents from their family.

"Thank you!"

"This is just what I wanted!"

"Thank you!"

"Aunt Amy is here!" Fat Amy called, all but kicking down the front door. Cynthia Rose followed at a slightly slower pace, and Molly scampered over to them, shrieking excitedly.

"Hey Uncle Bumper!" Toby said cheerfully, spying the man lingering in the back.

"You know, I never imagined Bumper Allen being at our kids' birthday", Jesse said conversationally to Beca, and she chucked, leaning into his embrace.

* * *

"How are you holding up?" Chloe wanted to know, sidling up to Beca and the tiny brunette gave Chloe a small smile, before resting a hand on the redhead's baby bump.

"It's hard, Chlo, it always is. It always will be. But they're okay. They're watching down on their baby sister and brothers, and they're gonna keep them safe. And, good God, as they get older I see more and more of the kids in them".

"Molly is a little Rosie, she's a performer", Chloe nodded.

"Yeah, Aubrey's got her Barden Bella right there". Beca grinned. "And I think we've got a pair of Treblemakers, too. Toby and Jack don't quite have the pipes of Miss Broadway, but they're up there. Give them a couple of years and they'll be into the organised nerd singing too".

"Aubrey's got her Barden Bella", Chloe said softly, putting a hand on her baby bump. "Don't tell her, but this is little Isabella".

Beca's grin widened and she looked at her friend in shock. "It's another girl?"

Chloe nodded, smiling as Molly took two and a half year old Maddie's hand. "Maddie's gonna have a little sister. I'll have to get Molly to show her the ropes".

"Molly's such a troublemaker, but she's so protective of those boys". Beca grinned (Molly was generally the source of the trouble, the mastermind behind their plans). "Toby initiates them, though".

Chloe laughed. "They're beautiful, all three of them".

Beca grinned at her. "I think they are".

* * *

"Have we shown you the annual time of birth photo?" Jesse said suddenly.

"We showed them", Beca reminded him. "Have we shown you the annual birth order photo?"

(With three, they had to make the day extra special.)

"When did Molly become the short one?" Fat Amy laughed, as they crowded around Jesse's camera.

(Molly had always had a good three inches on both her brothers- whom Jesse was convinced took after their mother in the height department- but suddenly, both boys had shot up and overtaken her.)

"I know, both boys had a growth spurt", Beca said with a grin. "Poor Molly… this is why Santa's bringing clothes".

"Santa?" Jesse frowned slightly. "Our parents have basically restocked their wardrobes".

Chloe laughed. "Have you seen the insane amount of clothes that Maddie has?"

* * *

"Bec, time for cake!" Jesse called, and Molly let out a squeal of excitement.

"Toby, Jack, let's go!" she called, reaching for their hands. And the two let her, allowing their sister to tug her towards the table.

"Hop up", Beca said, as she brought the cake towards them. Chloe, manned with the camera, stepped back a few paces, as Jesse flicked the lighter. "Come on, guys".

The three of them scrambled up onto the one chair, squeezing together, Molly keeping her arms around her two brothers. Toby and Jack held onto the table, leaning forward to see their chocolate cake.

"Smile, guys!" Chloe called, and they beamed cheesily at her. She clicked a photo, making Aubrey laugh.

"Oh my God, right there! They look so alike!"

Jesse started to laugh. "They're womb mates, Aubrey!"

(Two years earlier, when Beca and Jesse finally moved Molly out of the room she had shared with her brothers since birth into a room of her own, none of them could properly pronounce the letter 'R'. So when Jack and Toby had scoped out Molly's new room, Jack had turned to his sister with a look of sadness on his face and said to her 'we're not womb mates anymore!'. Beca and Jesse had roared with laughter for a solid twenty minutes, and had vowed to make that moment a story they told well into their children's adult lives.)

"Happy birthday to you!" they all began, as Jesse lit the three candles, all shaped like the number five, on top of the cake. "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Jack, Molly and Toby, happy birthday to you!"

In one breath, they blew out the candles, making their parents, aunts, uncles and cousins whoop.

The first five years of their triplets' life had been a hell of a wild ride, Beca mused, as she helped the three of them make the first cut in the cake (when the knife came out dirty the two boys ran shrieking from the cake, and Molly slapped a sloppy kiss to her father's cheek, making everyone laugh). But with Jesse by her side (as the knife continued to come out of the mud cake dirty), she knew that they'd be okay.


End file.
